George Hook
| Researcher | George Hook |
| Biography | George Hook is a science textbook author, editor and publisher, who has developed a passion for the diverse landscapes of southeastern Australia, as revealed by leading nineteenth-century landscape painter Eugene von Guérard. After numerous excursions locating sites and comparing field drawings and paintings with physical landscapes, he recently commenced an art history thesis at Federation University of Australia, investigating how and why von Guérard transforms landscapes in his paintings. |
| Degree | Masters by Research |
| Faculty | School of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Supervisors | Associate Professor Jennifer Jones-O’Neill (art historian and Head of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) |
| Project title | Compositional development and fidelity issues in Eugene von Guérard’s composite painting Warrenheip Hills near Ballarat 1854 |
| Project description | My thesis focuses on fidelity to nature issues in the paintings of leading nineteenth century Australian landscape painter Eugene von Guérard. In particular, I am interested in composite landscapes in which two field sketches are combined to form an artwork that communicates the essential nature of, or a narrative about, a specific environment. |
| Keywords | Eugene von Guérard • landscape painting • fidelity • composite • idealised • ‘truth to nature’ • geology • ecology • geography • Alexander von Humboldt • ‘Warrenheip Hills near Ballarat’ |
| External linkages | Eugene von Guerard’s sketchbooks and albums in the State Library New South Wales Eugene von Guérard’s drawings in the State Library Victoria Eugene von Guérard’s journal A pioneer of the fifties: leaves from the journal of an Australian Digger, 18 August 1852-16 March 1854 http://acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.cgi?itemID=901091 |