J J Hilder
Encyclopedia
J J Hilder also known as Jesse Jewhurst Hilder, was an Australia
n Watercolourist from the Heidelberg School
, a style of painting.
, Australia
, the fourth son and eighth child of Henry Hilder, an engineer originally from Sussex
. Hilder attended Toowoomba North State School until 1890 when his family moved to Brisbane
where he continued his education at Fortitude Valley State School. Winning a scholarship when 13 years of age, Hilder spent three years at the Brisbane Grammar School
and passed the junior public examination in 1897.
In 1898 Hilder joined the Brisbane
branch of the Bank of New South Wales. In 1901 he was transferred to Goulburn
, and the following year to Bega
, on the south coast of New South Wales
, where he joined some friends in weekend sketching. Later on he was to receive £1 for one of these sketches, his first sale. Suffering increasing ill-health he moved on a number of occasions. Hilder was transferred to a Sydney
suburb, but the sea air did not suit him; he was diagnosed with tuberculosis
. During the next five years he had to obtain leave of absence from the bank several times.
for advice about his art work and received encouragement he undertook classes and had practice in drawing which he realized was his weak point. Towards the end of 1906 Hilder went to a sanatorium in Queensland for four months, but came back little improved in health. At his own request he was transferred to a branch west of the mountains in April 1907. In August 1907 he sent 21 watercolours to an exhibition of the Society of Artists, Sydney. They were priced very low, from three to five guinea
s, and 19 were sold. These works created a sensation among the artists and critics. Hilder's health continued to be very bad and he kept moving about seeking vainly for improvement. He was able to do some painting, and at the spring exhibition of the Society of Artists his 14 watercolours were all sold.
Early in 1909 Hilder was married to Phyllis Meadmore, a probationer nurse. He had told her frankly about the state of his health but it was decided to take the risk. Later that same year Hilder the Bank of New South Wales accepted his resignation, and paid him nine months' leaving salary. He was grateful to his employers for the consideration he had received during his many years of ill-health. A cottage was taken at Epping
in the hills a few miles from Sydney, and during the next two years Hilder and his wife went through many anxieties. His sales were uncertain and his prices were low. Increasingly focused on his artwork, Hilder began to find more patronage and sales, and exhibited in Melbourne
in 1914. Despite continued ill-health he painted throughout the remaining two years of his life, dying on 10 April 1916, at Hornsby, New South Wales
, Australia.
and other galleries. The Ewing collection at the University of Melbourne
has a good example, "The Island Trader". Ure Smith published a tribute, J. J. Hilder: Watercolourist (1916), with proceeds going to Hilder's widow.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Watercolourist from the Heidelberg School
Heidelberg School
The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism....
, a style of painting.
Early life
Hilder was born in Toowoomba, QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the fourth son and eighth child of Henry Hilder, an engineer originally from Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. Hilder attended Toowoomba North State School until 1890 when his family moved to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
where he continued his education at Fortitude Valley State School. Winning a scholarship when 13 years of age, Hilder spent three years at the Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
and passed the junior public examination in 1897.
In 1898 Hilder joined the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
branch of the Bank of New South Wales. In 1901 he was transferred to Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, and the following year to Bega
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
, on the south coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, where he joined some friends in weekend sketching. Later on he was to receive £1 for one of these sketches, his first sale. Suffering increasing ill-health he moved on a number of occasions. Hilder was transferred to a Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb, but the sea air did not suit him; he was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. During the next five years he had to obtain leave of absence from the bank several times.
Career
In 1906 Hilder asked Julian AshtonJulian Ashton
Julian Rossi Ashton was an Australian artist and teacher, known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney....
for advice about his art work and received encouragement he undertook classes and had practice in drawing which he realized was his weak point. Towards the end of 1906 Hilder went to a sanatorium in Queensland for four months, but came back little improved in health. At his own request he was transferred to a branch west of the mountains in April 1907. In August 1907 he sent 21 watercolours to an exhibition of the Society of Artists, Sydney. They were priced very low, from three to five guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
s, and 19 were sold. These works created a sensation among the artists and critics. Hilder's health continued to be very bad and he kept moving about seeking vainly for improvement. He was able to do some painting, and at the spring exhibition of the Society of Artists his 14 watercolours were all sold.
Early in 1909 Hilder was married to Phyllis Meadmore, a probationer nurse. He had told her frankly about the state of his health but it was decided to take the risk. Later that same year Hilder the Bank of New South Wales accepted his resignation, and paid him nine months' leaving salary. He was grateful to his employers for the consideration he had received during his many years of ill-health. A cottage was taken at Epping
Epping, New South Wales
Epping is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Epping is located 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde, the City of Parramatta and Hornsby Shire and is located in the Northern...
in the hills a few miles from Sydney, and during the next two years Hilder and his wife went through many anxieties. His sales were uncertain and his prices were low. Increasingly focused on his artwork, Hilder began to find more patronage and sales, and exhibited in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1914. Despite continued ill-health he painted throughout the remaining two years of his life, dying on 10 April 1916, at Hornsby, New South Wales
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, Australia.
Legacy
Hilder was modest, shy and affected by illness; this sometimes led to estrangement from his best friends. He was fortunate in his wife, in the admiration of his fellow artists, and in finding early buyers of his paintings. He was very critical of his own work and tore up much of it; sometimes the final result was the third or fourth effort to capture the subject. He was not afraid of empty spaces and everything in the drawing was beautifully placed. His colour was always excellent, though some of his later work is painted almost in monochrome washed in on very rough paper. The treatment generally is broad, yet full of refinement and poetical feeling. The best collection of his work will be found at the national gallery at Sydney. He is also represented at the Melbourne, AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and other galleries. The Ewing collection at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
has a good example, "The Island Trader". Ure Smith published a tribute, J. J. Hilder: Watercolourist (1916), with proceeds going to Hilder's widow.
Publications
- J. J. (Jesse Jewhurst) Hilder, J.J. Hilder: water-colourist (Sydney: Tyrrells, 1916)
- Sydney Ure Smith and Bertram Stevens (eds.), The art of J.J. Hilder (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1918)
- J. J. (Jesse Jewhurst) Hilder, Jesse Jewhurst Hilder: anniversary exhibition, 1966 (Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery, 1960)