Elioth Gruner

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Spring Frost (1919), outdoor painting at Emu Plains , New South Wales

Elioth Lauritz Leganyer Gruner , early Anglicized by Grüner (born December 16, 1882 in Gisborne , † October 17, 1939 in Sydney ), was an Australian painter and seven-time winner of the Wynne Prize .

childhood

Gruner was born in New Zealand, the younger son of Elliott Gruner , a Norwegian- born bailiff, and his Irish wife, Mary Ann, who died in 1922. Gruner was brought to Sydney before his first birthday and showed a desire to draw from an early age. When he was 12 years old, his mother took him to Julian Ashton , where he received his first art class. After his father and older brother died, at the age of 14, he found a job in a shop where he worked from 7:40 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. to help with the household.

Artistic career

Gruner painted on the weekends. From 1901 he sent works to the Society of Artists exhibition in Sydney. From 1907 other artists were also interested in his work; Norman Lindsay was an admirer . In 1911 a small shop was opened on Bligh Street, Sydney, to sell Australian works of art. For a while, Gruner took over the management of the shop. He then became assistant to Julian Ashton at the Sydney Art School and took charge of all teaching for about three months during Ashton's illness. In 1916 he won the Wynne Prize for the small landscape "Morning Light", which was bought by the National Gallery of New South Wales . In 1919 Gruner won the Wynne Prize again. The following year the curators commissioned him to paint a large painting for the gallery "The Valley of the Tweed". Although this work won the Wynne Prize in 1921 and was hard work, it is seldom considered one of his best works. After that, he seldom made canvas works larger than 24 inches.

In 1923 Gruner traveled to Europe and was away for about two years. The impact of the travels on his work was very remarkable. There were more simplifications, he placed more emphasis on patterns, and on a freer and wider brush stroke. Sir William Orpen had given him constructive comments on his work that changed Gruner's style. Gruner was less interested in lighting problems and occasionally his works had a slightly cold aspect. These changes did not always go down well with his admirers, but Gruner couldn't allow himself to fall into a pit. In 1927 Gruner held a solo exhibition. Since he was not a particularly productive artist, he could sell almost anything he produced. Gruner spent a lot of time trying to find a suitable subject, and even more so studying it carefully before doing a brushstroke. Gruner began to be interested in the use of light again. Some of the excellent works of his last creative period combined the qualities of his art with his passion.

Gruner suffered from chronic inflammation of the kidneys and died in his home in Waverley on October 17, 1939. He was cremated according to Anglican custom.

Wynne Prize Winner

  • 1916 - Morning Light
  • 1919 - Spring Frost
  • 1921 - Valley of the Tweed
  • 1929 - On the Murrumbidgee
  • 1934 - Murrumbidgee Ranges, Canberra
  • 1936 - An Australian Landscape
  • 1937 - Weetangera, Canberra

swell

  • Percival Serle: Gruner, Eliot . In: Dictionary of Australian Biography . Angus and Robertson, Sydney 1949 (Link = [1] [accessed December 30, 2008]).

Web links

Commons : Elioth Gruner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d B. Pearce, 'Gruner, Elioth Lauritz Leganyer (1882-1939) ', Australian Dictionary of Biography , Volume 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp 134-135. Retrieved December 30, 2008
personal data
SURNAME Gruner, Elioth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gruner, Elioth Lauritz Leganyer
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian painter
DATE OF BIRTH December 16, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Gisborne
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 1939
Place of death Sydney