George Hyde Pownall Art for Sale and Sold Prices

b. 1876 - d. 1932

George Hyde Pownall: painter of cityscapes
Michael E. Humphries
IN SuRVEYS OF ARTISTS who painted
streetscapes and city life, one particular artist,
George Hyde Pownall (1866-1939), has been
generally overlooked. Pownall painted many street
scenes during the first third of the twentieth century
in London and Melbourne and is represented in
the Cowen Gallery of the State Library of Victoria
by two major works – Bourke Street and Collins
Street (both c.1914). Little is known about his life
and oeuvre apart from these works and the scant
biographical notes on his life are inaccurate. He
never seems to have exhibited in Australia and is
not represented in standard art reference works
such as McCulloch’s
Encyclopaedia of Australian
Art
. It therefore seems fitting that an appraisal of
his life and work be undertaken to broaden our
understanding of the portrayal of the Melbourne
scene in the early years of the twentieth century.
English born, Pownall successfully combined his interest in painting with his
professional role as a musician, especially as a singer, conductor and composer. Although
heavily involved in theatrical pursuits, he was a prolific artist who painted many scenes in
oil and watercolour, usually on a small scale in London and then in Melbourne after his
arrival here via Sydney around 1914.
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As a painter in London he painted many brightly
illuminated nocturnal scenes of the West End with an emphasis on the theatre district.
He also painted scenes reflecting imperial imagery and daily city life.
On immigrating to Australia, Pownall painted many cityscapes, emphasising the
city’s fine public buildings and churches. He also painted quieter suburban streetscapes
in St Kilda where he lived from 1924. He captured much of the essence of modernity and
change at a time when Melbourne was experiencing great prosperity. He also contributed
considerably to the tradition of the cityscape which began soon after the Gold Rushes
of the 1850s.