The guitariste

Charles Edward Conder (1868-1909) was an English-born painter, lithographer and designer. He emigrated to Australia and was a key figure in the Heidelberg School, arguably the beginning of a distinctively Australian tradition in Western art. After living in Australia for six years, he returned to Europe, living and working first in Paris and then in London.  He fully embraced the bohemian lifestyle and enjoyed costume parties. His artistic powers were at their height in the later 1890s, in spirt of 'drunken spells and disreputalbe company'. Three years later Conder was dead (of syphilis) at the age of 40.

This chalk lithograph, printed in sanguine ink, is less impressive than his later <em>Fantaisie Espagnole,</em> which is also in the collection (1969-20-14), but it has definite charm. It shows a garden terrace, on which a lady plays the guitar, sitting on a stone bench, with an attendant swain behind her. Pierrot approaches her from the left, and Harlequin clutches at his coat to restrain him. In the foreground, and on the right, are three women.

See:

Wikipedia, 'Charles Conder' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Conder

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator Historical International Art    April 2018