Ernest Buckmaster

Ernest Buckmaster was a prominent Australian painter and art teacher who was known for his realistic and traditional paintings of landscapes, still lifes and portraits. He was born in Hawthorn, Melbourne, on 3 July 1897, the eldest son of Harry Amos Buckmaster, a straw-hat manufacturer, and his wife Letitia Martha née Chandler. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting and studied at the National Gallery School in Melbourne from 1918 to 1924 under Lindsay Bernard Hall and W.B. McInnes. He won many prizes and awards during his studies and emerged as an accomplished painter with a substantial work-rate and output. He exhibited widely in Australia and abroad and sold his paintings well, especially in Victoria and South Australia. He was a member of the Victorian Artists Society and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Art. He also taught painting at various institutions, including the East Sydney Technical College from 1944 to 1946. Buckmaster was best known for his portrait of Sir William Irvine, which won the Archibald Prize in 1932. He was a finalist for the prize 72 times between 1924 and 1966. He also painted many other notable figures, such as Sir James Mitchell, Miss Jessica Harcourt and Sir Robert Menzies. He was influenced by various artistic movements, such as impressionism, post-impressionism and neo-classicism. He developed his own distinctive style of painting, using vibrant colours, strong contrasts and dynamic compositions to create realistic and expressive images. He also painted landscapes, still lifes and flowers, often incorporating elements of fantasy and allegory. Buckmaster served as an official war artist during World War II for the Australian military's Military History Section. He was sent to document the Japanese surrender in 1945 but missed the ceremony due to a delayed flight. He still completed 51 works for the Australian War Memorial, depicting scenes of war damage, prisoners of war and military personnel. Buckmaster disliked modern art and criticised it in his book The Truth About Modern Art (1959) and in letters to newspapers. He defended his own style of painting as being true to nature and beauty. He was regarded as one of the most original and influential figures in Australian realism. He died on 18 October 1968 at his home at Warrandyte. He was survived by his wife Florence and their five children. His grave is in the Lilydale cemetery. He left behind a large body of work that is now held by various public and private collections.