Ernest Moffitt
Encyclopedia
Ernest Edward Moffitt was an Australia
n artist.
the son of John Thomas Lowry Moffitt, draper, and his wife Mary Emily, née Rogers. He was educated at All Saints school, St. Kilda, Melbourne
. When Marshall Hall
opened his conservatorium of music at the University of Melbourne
, Moffitt was the first student to enroll. Moffitt subsequently became secretary of the conservatorium and for a short while studied art at the national gallery
school at Melbourne. Moffitt was friendly with a group of the younger artists which included Lionel
and Norman Lindsay
, did a little painting and etching, but was chiefly remarkable for his beautiful pen drawings. Three of these, reproduced in Lionel Lindsay's A Consideration of the Art of Ernest Moffitt, are especially good, "The Old Well", "Zeehan Wharf", and "A Summer's Day". Moffitt also did three drawings for Hall's Hymn to Sydney
.
Moffitt was also fond of old English pottery, bound books, carved pipes and Japanese furniture. Marshall Hall financed a book on Moffit by Lionel Lindsay, it acknowledged 'a fine artist and what is saddest, the promise of a great one'.
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.
Life
Moffitt was born in Bendigo, VictoriaBendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
the son of John Thomas Lowry Moffitt, draper, and his wife Mary Emily, née Rogers. He was educated at All Saints school, St. Kilda, 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...
. When Marshall Hall
Marshall Hall (musician)
George William Louis Marshall-Hall was an English-born musician, composer, conductor, poet and controversialist who lived and worked in Australia from 1891 till his death in 1915...
opened his conservatorium of music 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...
, Moffitt was the first student to enroll. Moffitt subsequently became secretary of the conservatorium and for a short while studied art at the national gallery
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...
school at Melbourne. Moffitt was friendly with a group of the younger artists which included Lionel
Lionel Lindsay
Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay was an Australian artist and brother of artist and illustrator Norman Lindsay.-Early life:...
and Norman Lindsay
Norman Lindsay
Norman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer. He was born in Creswick, Victoria....
, did a little painting and etching, but was chiefly remarkable for his beautiful pen drawings. Three of these, reproduced in Lionel Lindsay's A Consideration of the Art of Ernest Moffitt, are especially good, "The Old Well", "Zeehan Wharf", and "A Summer's Day". Moffitt also did three drawings for Hall's Hymn to 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...
.
Legacy
Moffitt died unmarried in 1899 aged just 27, he was buried in St Kilda cemetery.Moffitt was also fond of old English pottery, bound books, carved pipes and Japanese furniture. Marshall Hall financed a book on Moffit by Lionel Lindsay, it acknowledged 'a fine artist and what is saddest, the promise of a great one'.