William Piguenit
Encyclopedia
William Charles Piguenit (27 August 1836 – 17 July 1914) was an Australia
n landscape painter.
, Tasmania
, to Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Mary Ann née Igglesden. Frederick had been transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1830, with Frederick's fiancee, Mary Ann, following him. They married in Hobart in 1833
William’s first artistic influences came from his mother, who set up a school for young ladies where she taught "French, music and drawing".
In 1850 William became a draftsman with the Tasmanian Lands & Survey Department, working in particular on the Geological Survey of Tasmania.
During this period of employment Piguenit provided lithographic illustrations for, The Salmon Ponds and vicinity, New Norfolk Tasmania (Hobart Town: M.L. Henn, [1867]).
He took painting lessons from the Scottish painter Frank Dunnett but until he got a good price for a painting from Sir James Agnew, he had little success as a painter.
Piguenit left the public service in 1873 to devote his time more fully to painting and his oils and watercolours of Tasmanian landscapes soon brought favourable reviews.
He was a participant in the venture to the western part of Tasmania - as found in the book Walk to the West
.
Later, during a visit to Tasmania he was noticed by the governor's wife, Lady Hamilton and a large number of his drawings were purchased by the government for the Hobart gallery.
His Flood in the Darling was purchased for the National Gallery of New South Wales (now Art Gallery of New South Wales
) in 1895. In 1898 and 1900 he visited Europe, exhibiting at London and Paris. Returning to Australia he won the Wynne Prize
in 1901 with his Thunder storm on the Darling, then in 1903 he was commissioned by the National Gallery of New South Wales trustees to paint Mount Kosciusko
By the end of the century he was regarded as the leading Australian-born landscape painter.
Piguenit died on 17 July 1914 and was buried in the Field of Mars cemetery. Inscription on headstone (Field of Mars Cemetery: C of E, Sec. C. Grave 618): IN LOVING MEMORY OF WILLIAM CHARLES PIGUENIT DIED 17th JULY 1914; AGED 77 YEARS. "UNTO THE UPRIGHT THERE ARISETH LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS"
Art Gallery of South Australia
Geelong Art Gallery
National Gallery of Australia
National Library of Australia
State Library of Tasmania
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
(TMAG)
Account of trips from Hobart Town to Port Davey 14 Feb. 1871 – 9 Mar. 1871, from Hobart Town to Lake St. Clair 8 Feb. 1873-10 Mar. 1873 and from Hobart Town to Queensland 13 Sep. 1875 – 13 Oct. 1875, including i.a. notes concerning sketches, photographs and landscape scenery.
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 landscape painter.
Early life
Piguenit was born in HobartHobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, to Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Mary Ann née Igglesden. Frederick had been transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1830, with Frederick's fiancee, Mary Ann, following him. They married in Hobart in 1833
William’s first artistic influences came from his mother, who set up a school for young ladies where she taught "French, music and drawing".
In 1850 William became a draftsman with the Tasmanian Lands & Survey Department, working in particular on the Geological Survey of Tasmania.
During this period of employment Piguenit provided lithographic illustrations for, The Salmon Ponds and vicinity, New Norfolk Tasmania (Hobart Town: M.L. Henn, [1867]).
He took painting lessons from the Scottish painter Frank Dunnett but until he got a good price for a painting from Sir James Agnew, he had little success as a painter.
Piguenit left the public service in 1873 to devote his time more fully to painting and his oils and watercolours of Tasmanian landscapes soon brought favourable reviews.
He was a participant in the venture to the western part of Tasmania - as found in the book Walk to the West
Walk to the West
Walk to the WestWas a book published to celebrate both the sesquicentenary of the Royal Society of Tasmania in 1993, and the event from which the book is made - the Walk to the West Coast of Tasmania by James Backhouse Walker, Arthur Leslie Giblin, Charles Percy Sprent, William Piguenit, Robert...
.
New South Wales
After moving to NSW in 1880 Piguenit's subjects included the Darling, Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers as well as the Lane Cove River close to his Hunters Hill home. It was also at this time that he became one of the founders of the Art Society of New South Wales.Later, during a visit to Tasmania he was noticed by the governor's wife, Lady Hamilton and a large number of his drawings were purchased by the government for the Hobart gallery.
His Flood in the Darling was purchased for the National Gallery of New South Wales (now Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
) in 1895. In 1898 and 1900 he visited Europe, exhibiting at London and Paris. Returning to Australia he won the Wynne Prize
Wynne Prize
The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. One of Australia's longest running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne...
in 1901 with his Thunder storm on the Darling, then in 1903 he was commissioned by the National Gallery of New South Wales trustees to paint Mount Kosciusko
By the end of the century he was regarded as the leading Australian-born landscape painter.
Piguenit died on 17 July 1914 and was buried in the Field of Mars cemetery. Inscription on headstone (Field of Mars Cemetery: C of E, Sec. C. Grave 618): IN LOVING MEMORY OF WILLIAM CHARLES PIGUENIT DIED 17th JULY 1914; AGED 77 YEARS. "UNTO THE UPRIGHT THERE ARISETH LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS"
Collections
Art Gallery of New South WalesArt Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
Art Gallery of South Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia , located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in Adelaide, is the premier visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of over 35,000 works of art, making it, after the National Gallery of Victoria, the largest state...
Geelong Art Gallery
Geelong Art Gallery
The Geelong Art Gallery is a major regional gallery in the city of Geelong in Victoria, Australia. The gallery has approximately 4,000 works of art in its collection...
National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
- Hell's Gates, Davey River, Tasmania, 1871
- Near Liverpool, New South Wales, c.1908
- On the Nepean, New South Wales, n.d.
National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
- Mt. Olympus, Lake St. Clair, Tasmania, 1878
- On the Craycroft (i.e. Cracroft), Tasmania, 1878
- Tasmanian landscape, c. 1880
- Mount King William from Lake George, Tasmania, 1887
State Library of Tasmania
State Library of Tasmania
The State Library of Tasmania is the organisation which runs the library system in the state of Tasmania, Australia. The State Library operates as part of the Tasmanian Department of Education, and maintains close ties with Tasmanian schools and senior secondary colleges.The headquarters of the...
- On the Derwent, n.d.
- In the Grose Valley, 1887
- Lane Cove from below the Bridge, near Sydney N.S.Wales, n.d.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1843, by the Royal Society of Tasmania under the leadership of Sir John Franklin, the oldest Royal Society outside of England.-Governance:...
(TMAG)
Resources
- Diary, 1871, 1873, 1875, State Library of QueenslandState Library of QueenslandThe State Library of Queensland is a large public library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988...
Account of trips from Hobart Town to Port Davey 14 Feb. 1871 – 9 Mar. 1871, from Hobart Town to Lake St. Clair 8 Feb. 1873-10 Mar. 1873 and from Hobart Town to Queensland 13 Sep. 1875 – 13 Oct. 1875, including i.a. notes concerning sketches, photographs and landscape scenery.