John Shirlow
Encyclopedia
John Alexander Thomas Shirlow (13 December 1869 – 22 June 1936) was an Australia
n artist.
Shirlow was born in Sunbury, Victoria
, son of Robert Shirlow, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin
, who had come from Ireland
and followed many occupations in the new land without much success. His mother was formerly Miss Rebecca Flanagan.
Shirlow was educated at various state schools and Scotch College, Melbourne
, and went to work first at Haase Duffus and Company, printers, and then in 1889 with Sands and McDougall. He began attending evening classes at the national gallery in 1890 and continued there for five years. Towards the end of his course, influenced largely by the Rembrandt and Whistler prints at the Melbourne national gallery, he began to practise etching. His difficulties were great for he had to make his own press and correct his own mistakes. His first plate was etched in 1895 and he continued his craft until the end of his life. Most of his work is pure etching, but he did a few aquatints and mezzotints.
In 1913 Shirlow joined the electric supply department of the Melbourne City Council, he had studied electricity at the Melbourne technical school, and he also began to act as an examiner in drawing for the public examinations of the University of Melbourne
. In 1917 a small volume, 'Etchings by John Shirlow', with reproductions of 25 of his plates was published at Sydney, and had a large sale. This was followed in 1920 by 'The Etched Work of John Shirlow', with a biography, by R. H. Croll, and a chronological list of 89 of his prints. In 1920, with Albert Henry Fullwood
, he co-founded the Australian Painter-Etchers' Society. In 1922 he was made a trustee of the public library, museums and national gallery of Victoria, and soon afterwards became drawing master at Scotch College, Melbourne. In 1932 he published 'Perspective', a text book for the use of schools. He died at home in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield
. He married in 1895, Grace Nixon, who survived him with four children. A bronze head of Shirlow by Charles Web Gilbert
is in the trustees' room at the national gallery, Melbourne.
Shirlow was a man of medium height with a fine rugged head and strong prejudices. He was interested in music and literature and did a fair amount of journalism on artistic subjects. In his etchings he was not a great draughtsman, but his buildings are solidly drawn and his masses well arranged. He was less successful in his figure work. He is represented at the British Museum
, the national galleries of Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, and at Stockholm
, Bendigo, Geelong and Castlemaine
. The finest collection is at the Mitchell Library
, Sydney
, which has practically all of his important prints. Though a few earlier men had experimented in etching, Shirlow will always be remembered as the first man in Australia to do work in this medium with any distinction.
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.
Shirlow was born in Sunbury, Victoria
Sunbury, Victoria
Sunbury is a regional city, located north-west of Melbourne's central business district, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Sunbury had a population of 31,000...
, son of Robert Shirlow, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, who had come from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and followed many occupations in the new land without much success. His mother was formerly Miss Rebecca Flanagan.
Shirlow was educated at various state schools and Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, and went to work first at Haase Duffus and Company, printers, and then in 1889 with Sands and McDougall. He began attending evening classes at the national gallery in 1890 and continued there for five years. Towards the end of his course, influenced largely by the Rembrandt and Whistler prints at the Melbourne national gallery, he began to practise etching. His difficulties were great for he had to make his own press and correct his own mistakes. His first plate was etched in 1895 and he continued his craft until the end of his life. Most of his work is pure etching, but he did a few aquatints and mezzotints.
In 1913 Shirlow joined the electric supply department of the Melbourne City Council, he had studied electricity at the Melbourne technical school, and he also began to act as an examiner in drawing for the public examinations of 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...
. In 1917 a small volume, 'Etchings by John Shirlow', with reproductions of 25 of his plates was published at Sydney, and had a large sale. This was followed in 1920 by 'The Etched Work of John Shirlow', with a biography, by R. H. Croll, and a chronological list of 89 of his prints. In 1920, with Albert Henry Fullwood
Albert Henry Fullwood
Albert Henry Fullwood was the Australian official war artist to the 5th Division in the First World War.Fullwood was born in Erdington, Birmingham, son of Frederick John Fullwood, jeweller, and his wife Emma, née Barr. From 1878, Fullwood studied art at evening classes at the Birmingham Institute...
, he co-founded the Australian Painter-Etchers' Society. In 1922 he was made a trustee of the public library, museums and national gallery of Victoria, and soon afterwards became drawing master at Scotch College, Melbourne. In 1932 he published 'Perspective', a text book for the use of schools. He died at home in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
. He married in 1895, Grace Nixon, who survived him with four children. A bronze head of Shirlow by Charles Web Gilbert
Charles Web Gilbert
Charles Marsh Web Gilbert was a self-taught Australian sculptor renowned both within Australia and abroad.Gilbert was born near Maryborough, Victoria. His father died when he was two months old, and his mother was left with three young children. Gilbert received a state school education but began...
is in the trustees' room at the national gallery, Melbourne.
Shirlow was a man of medium height with a fine rugged head and strong prejudices. He was interested in music and literature and did a fair amount of journalism on artistic subjects. In his etchings he was not a great draughtsman, but his buildings are solidly drawn and his masses well arranged. He was less successful in his figure work. He is represented at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the national galleries of Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, and at Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Bendigo, Geelong and Castlemaine
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
. The finest collection is at the Mitchell Library
Mitchell Library
The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
, 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...
, which has practically all of his important prints. Though a few earlier men had experimented in etching, Shirlow will always be remembered as the first man in Australia to do work in this medium with any distinction.