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• Auction House:
  Gibson's Auctioneers & Valuers
• Sale Name:
  Australian & International Art
• Sale Date:
  29 Oct 2023 ~ 12noon (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  92
• Lot Description:
  Jan Hendrick Scheltema
  (1861-1941)
  The Swagman and The New Chum
  oil on canvas
  49.5 x 74.5 cm
  signed lower right: J.H Scheltema
• Provenance:
  Raffan Kelaher & Thomas, Sydney, Fine & Decorative Arts, 21 July 2021, Lot 10; Private Collection, Melbourne
• Notes:
  During the late 19th Century, Australia experienced economic struggles that saw many banks close, wool production rapidly decline, and mass livestock fatality due to drought. The following decade-long economic depression resulted in a widespread food crisis affecting families from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite these desperate and challenging times, there was an unprecedented influx of young migrant men seeking new prospects. Referred to as 'New Chums' by the more seasoned squatters and pastoralists- this term is delivered with colloquial larrikinism, describing a quixotic newcomer yet to discover the hardship and reality of Australian colonial life. The Swagman and The New Chum, is an atypical painting by Dutch-born artist J H Scheltema, offering us a rare glimpse of daily life in the late 1800s. As a recent migrant himself, his painting provides valuable context to the socio-economic atmosphere from this period. Unlike many of his peers, J H Scheltema was fortunate not to be affected by this economic shift. Early on in his Australian career, he was recruited by artist and teacher Charles Rolando (1844-1893) as an assistant and collaborator. Between 1889 -1893 Rolando funded several joint painting trips throughout rural Victoria, passing through Gippsland and other local regions. Under the older painter's pedagogy, J H Scheltema was introduced to an elite circle of Melbourne art collectors and peers, grounding him in the Australian market. Scheltema quickly rose to fame in Melbourne and abroad for his landscape paintings showcasing cattle and agricultural scenes. The Swagman and The New Chum is a unique composition for the artist, depicting a dialogue between two subsets of colonial society. The camaraderie in this encounter shows a transition from young to old, the prevailing battler, somewhat beaten and worn, instructing the naive and optimistic 'new chum' on local topography. The relaying of knowledge by word of mouth was crucial to survival in the unfamiliar landscape that was doubtless formidable to European sentimentalities. This work is a masterful legacy of an artist who has retained a commanding pictorial presence in Australian art history.
• Estimate:
  A$8,000 - 12,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.