Lindsay Bernard Hall
Encyclopedia
Lindsay Bernard Hall was an English
-born Australia
n artist and art gallery director.
Hall was born at Garston, Liverpool
, England, the son of a broker
of the same family as Captain Basil Hall, writer of books of travel. Hall was well educated and grew up in an atmosphere of culture. He studied painting at the South Kensington School of Art, Antwerp and Munich, and worked for several years in London
.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy
and was one of the original members of the New English Art Club.
On the death of George Frederick Folingsby
in 1891 he was appointed director of the National Gallery of Victoria
at Melbourne
, and began his duties in March 1892. Hall married Elsinore Mary Shuter on 18 December 1894, however she died in 1901. He held the position at the Gallery for 43 years and many of the well-known painters of Australia were trained by him in the National Gallery of Victoria Art School
.
Hall also acted as adviser to the trustees for purchases for the gallery and art museum, and when the munificent bequest of Alfred Felton
was received in 1904 his responsibilities were much increased. In 1905 Hall went to England to make purchases under the bequest. After his return he was expected to advise on everything submitted that might find a place in an art museum and, although he never claimed to be an expert in all these things, he supplemented his knowledge with hard reading and made relatively few mistakes.
In February 1934 he again went to London as adviser to the Felton trustees and died there on 14 February 1935.
In 1912, Hall married a second time, this time to Harriet Grace Thomson, who with one son by the first marriage and two sons and a daughter by the second marriage, survived him.
Hall was a tall, distinguished man; courteous with strong convictions. He was extremely conservative in almost everything from his art to his politics. The only exception was his advocacy of the Baconian theory, afterwards modified to a firm conviction that whether Bacon had any hand in the plays or not, the author was not the man from Stratford. In other matters his appeal was to tradition and the expert. Hall was an honest man, he could see no merit in the so-called modern school of painting and he said so. Its followers seemed to him to violate the first principles of art. His own paintings were carefully planned and always well drawn. His colour was not always so good, and this was especially apparent in some of his earlier nudes.
The examples of his work in the Melbourne, Sydney
and Adelaide
galleries show him to have been a conscientious and excellent artist. As a teacher his somewhat cold manner, which really came from a kind of shyness, sometimes repelled his pupils in his earlier days, but he mellowed as he grew older. There has been much difference of opinion as to the value of his methods of teaching, but his long roll of distinguished pupils suggests that his insistence on sincerity, truth and good drawing, must have been of great value to them. In any case, Hall's personality was a strong influence for the good of art in his time.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born 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...
n artist and art gallery director.
Hall was born at Garston, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, the son of a broker
Broker
A broker is a party that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller, and gets a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal...
of the same family as Captain Basil Hall, writer of books of travel. Hall was well educated and grew up in an atmosphere of culture. He studied painting at the South Kensington School of Art, Antwerp and Munich, and worked for several years in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and was one of the original members of the New English Art Club.
On the death of George Frederick Folingsby
George Frederick Folingsby
George Frederick Folingsby was an Irish/Australian painter and art educator.Folingsby was born in the County of Wicklow, Ireland. At the age of 18 he emigrated to Canada. Later he went to New York, studied drawing and contributed illustrations to magazines of the day...
in 1891 he was appointed director of the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
at 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...
, and began his duties in March 1892. Hall married Elsinore Mary Shuter on 18 December 1894, however she died in 1901. He held the position at the Gallery for 43 years and many of the well-known painters of Australia were trained by him in the National Gallery of Victoria Art School
National Gallery of Victoria Art School
The National Gallery of Victoria Art School , associated with the National Gallery of Victoria, was founded in 1867. It was the leading centre for academic art training in Australia until about 1910. Among its luminaries, the school was headed by John Brack from 1962-68 and Sir William Dargie was...
.
Hall also acted as adviser to the trustees for purchases for the gallery and art museum, and when the munificent bequest of Alfred Felton
Alfred Felton
Alfred Felton was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.-Biography:Alfred Felton was born at Maldon, Essex, England, the fifth child of six sons and three daughters of William Felton, a currier, and his wife Hannah...
was received in 1904 his responsibilities were much increased. In 1905 Hall went to England to make purchases under the bequest. After his return he was expected to advise on everything submitted that might find a place in an art museum and, although he never claimed to be an expert in all these things, he supplemented his knowledge with hard reading and made relatively few mistakes.
Works
Hall's own paintings were usually interiors, nudes, or paintings of still life. He was often represented at the Victorian Artists' and other societies' exhibitions and held several one-man shows, but he was kept so busily employed as director and adviser, that his paintings had to be done at weekends and during vacations.In February 1934 he again went to London as adviser to the Felton trustees and died there on 14 February 1935.
In 1912, Hall married a second time, this time to Harriet Grace Thomson, who with one son by the first marriage and two sons and a daughter by the second marriage, survived him.
Hall was a tall, distinguished man; courteous with strong convictions. He was extremely conservative in almost everything from his art to his politics. The only exception was his advocacy of the Baconian theory, afterwards modified to a firm conviction that whether Bacon had any hand in the plays or not, the author was not the man from Stratford. In other matters his appeal was to tradition and the expert. Hall was an honest man, he could see no merit in the so-called modern school of painting and he said so. Its followers seemed to him to violate the first principles of art. His own paintings were carefully planned and always well drawn. His colour was not always so good, and this was especially apparent in some of his earlier nudes.
The examples of his work in the Melbourne, 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...
and Adelaide
Adelaide
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...
galleries show him to have been a conscientious and excellent artist. As a teacher his somewhat cold manner, which really came from a kind of shyness, sometimes repelled his pupils in his earlier days, but he mellowed as he grew older. There has been much difference of opinion as to the value of his methods of teaching, but his long roll of distinguished pupils suggests that his insistence on sincerity, truth and good drawing, must have been of great value to them. In any case, Hall's personality was a strong influence for the good of art in his time.
External Links
- Bernard Hall Papers at the National Gallery of Australia Research LibraryNational Gallery of Australia Research LibraryThe National Gallery of Australia Research Library is the preeminent art library in Australia, located in Canberra..- Services :The Research Library has a Reference Service that is available to the public online, and via email, phone, fax or post....