John Mather b. 1848

  • Artist (Architect / Interior Architect / Landscape Architect),
  • Artist (Painter),
  • Artist (Printmaker)
Glasgow born and educated, John Mather came to Melbourne hoping to pursue a full time career as an artist, but for some years had to work as an interior decorator. He was a foundation member of the Victorian Artists Society and also the Australian Art Association. His own works were very much in the plein air tradition, but he worked separately from Louis Buvelot and his circle.
Tags: Plein air paintng, Etching, Pastorale landscape
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painter and etcher, who also worked as a decorator, was born at Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland the son of John Mather,a surveyor, and his wife Margaret (nee Allen. Mater studied art at the Royal Institute of Fine Arts, Glasgow. On 3 January 1878 he arrived at Melbourne, travelling on the Scottish ship, Victoria on board the Loch Long. Because it was not possible to work full time as an artist, he initially worked as a decorator. He painted an overmantel at Mandeville Hall as part of Mr East’s team (completed 1878); he also decorated the pavilion, a cabinet and other furniture for W.H. Rocke at the 1880-81 Melbourne International Exhibition. His major commission, however, was winning the contract to decorate the Exhibition Building itself, which he completed with the assistance of a team of thirty craftsmen led by his compatriot James Paterson of the firm of Paterson Bros (Paterson family scrapbooks, National Library of Australia, manuscript). This apparently enabled Mather to abandon decoration and devote himself 'wholly and solely to an unremitting study of art’ ( Table Talk 2 November 1888, 3: cited Lane), though Lane notes that he was advertising as a decorator in the Age as late as 5 November 1881.
Hw worked from his studio at Lilydale, painting oil paintings and watercolours as well as making prints in the the recently revived medium of etching. His tranquil pastoral scenes, painted en plein air, made him an especially popular artist in late 19th century Melbourne.

On 16 September 1882 he married Jessie Pines Best, and they had three children.

Mather was active within the arts community. He was President of the Victorian Artists Society 1893-1900, 1906-8 and 1911. Nevertheless in 1912 he joined with other established Melbourne artists to form the breakaway Australian Art Association. As a trustee for the National Gallery of Victoria and a member of the Felton Bequest Committee he became a strong advocate for Australian art entering the collection.

He died of diabetes at his home in South Yarra, on 18 February 1916. A memorial exhibition of his work was held at the Athaneum Gallery, Melbourne, in August 1916.

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Writers:
Staff Writer
Date written:
1999
Last updated:
2014

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