Charles Conder
(England, Australia 24 Oct 1868–09 Feb 1909)
The awakening
- Other titles:
- The awakening: Study for a fan
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Charles Conder returned to England, the country of his birth, in 1890, having established himself as one of the founders of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionist painting. In England and in France, he was regarded as a member of the fin de siecle bohemian set, including among his intimates Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
In his late work Conder favoured a romantic aestheticism, earning most fame for his decorative watercolours on silk. As with a number of other late 19th-century artists in France, Conder created a number of fan designs on silk between 1893 and 1905, inspired by contemporary literature and referencing 18th century imagery, utilising a deliberately pale palette to suggest age. Some fans were mounted but others, like this one, were not.
© Australian Art Department, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004
- Year
- circa 1895
- Media
- Watercolour
- Medium
- pencil, watercolour, gold paint, white highlights on silk fan
- Dimensions
- 14.2 x 42.2cm silk (irreg.)
- Signature & date
- Signed l.l., gold paint "CONDER.". Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1974
- Accession number
- 131.1974
