Exhibition dates: 7th May – 27th July, 2025
Edgar Finlay (Australian, 1893-1974)
Untitled Streetscape
1919
Oil on board
32.2 x 27.2cm
This is a near perfect exhibition of Australian Tonalist paintings from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne.
From the beautiful colour of the gallery walls which compliments the art work to the subtle grouping of the paintings to the individual nuances in style of each artist’s work … this is a stunning exhibition which envelops the viewer in the paintings sublime, minimalist intimacies.
From portrait to landscape, from cityscape to still life, I was enraptured by the presence of each painting. Blow Monet or Cezanne, here is Australian colour, context, identity, place, perspective at its suffused finest!
I have always adored the work of Clarice Beckett (Australian, 1887-1935) ever since I saw her paintings at Lauraine Diggins Fine Art way back in 2015, and normally she would be the start of the show … but not here. Here she is surrounded by visions / visionaries of equal stature, led by the redoubtable painter and teacher Max Meldrum (Australian, 1875-1955).
The wall of five of his paintings of trees (see installation photo below) including The Glade, Eltham (c. 1920, below), The Pool (1923, below), The Bottom of the Hill (Eltham Reserve) (1925, below) is one of the most rigorous conceptual investigations into that subject I have seen in Australian painting, yet at the same time I was emotionally moved by their subtle nuances of form, tone and inhabitation. It was as though the artist had internalised the transcendence of his subject.
Believe me when I say that I inhaled the canvases in this exhibition, I breathed their suffused glow.
It was a real privilege to see the exhibition and to be able to construct this post. There are not many reproductions of Australian Tonalist paintings online by many of these artists so here is a record their achievement, and that of John and Peter Perry for having the foresight and perspicacity to collect them.
Enveloped in a pall of opaque density I see clearly.
Dr Marcus Bunyan
Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image. All installation photographs © Marcus Bunyan
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing at left, George Coates’ portrait of Max Meldrum, c. 1895 (below); at centre, Edgar Finlay’s Untitled Streetscape 1919 (above); and at right, three paintings by Clarice Beckett (below)
Australian Tonalism
Australian Tonalism is characterised by a particular “misty” or atmospheric quality created by the Meldrum painting method of building “tone on tone”. Tonalism developed from Meldrum’s “Scientific theory of Impressions”; claiming that social decadence had given artists an exaggerated interest in colour and, to their detriment, were paying less attention to tone and proportion. Art, he said, should be a pure science based on optical analysis; its sole purpose being to place on the canvas the first ordered tonal impressions that the eye received. All adornments and narrative and literary references should be rejected.
Tonalism opposed Post-Impressionism and Modernism, and is now regarded as a precursor to Minimalism and Conceptualism. The whole movement had been under fierce controversy and they were without doubt the most unpopular group of artists, in the eyes of most other artists, in the history of Australian art. Influential Melbourne artist and teacher George Bell described Australian Tonalism as a “cult which muffles everything in a pall of opaque density”.
Text from the Wikipedia website
George Coates (Australian, 1869-1930)
Max Meldrum
c. 1895
Oil on canvas
49.7 x 39.5cm
Clarice Beckett (Australian, 1887-1935)
The Solitary Bathing Box
c. 1933
Oil on beaver board
22.7 x 30cm
Clarice Beckett (Australian, 1887-1935)
Street Scene (Collins Street)
c. 1931
Oil on canvas board
17.6 x 24cm
Clarice Beckett (Australian, 1887-1935)
(Beaumaris Coast)
c. 1927
Oil on academy board
17.7 x 23.5cm
Wall text from the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of Carl Hampel
Carl Hampel (Australian, 1891-1940)
At Eltham
1920
Oil on prepared board
30.5 x 23cm
Carl Hampel (Australian, 1891-1940)
Coming Light
c. 1924
Evening
1920
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing at left in the bottom image the work of A E Newbury
A E Newbury (Australian, 1891-1941)
White Gum and Pines
1919
Morning Light
1919
The Old Garden
1919
A E Newbury (Australian, 1891-1941)
The Old Garden
1919
Oil on prepared board
30.5 x 23cm
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of William Frater
William Frater (Scottish, 1890-1974)
Untitled Landscape
c. 1920
Oil on canvas
30 x 41.5cm
William Frater (Scottish, 1890-1974)
Olympus
c. 1928
Oil on canvas on board
32 x 46cm
William Frater (Scottish, 1890-1974)
Tree forms on the Yarra
c. 1926
Oil on canvas on board
30.5 x 39cm
William Frater (Scottish, 1890-1974)
The River (Homage to Cezanne)
1930
Oil on board
43 x 54.5cm
Installation views of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025
Discover the artistic legacy of Max Meldrum (1875-1955) in this exhibition showcasing the lifelong dedication of John and Peter Perry to collecting works by this pioneering Australian artist and his influential school. Meldrum, a key figure in 20th-century Australian art, revolutionised the painting scene between the two World Wars, creating a distinctive style that has left a lasting imprint on the nation’s artistic landscape.
The exhibition features a selection of works from a collection of over 320 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and etchings. Highlights include landscapes from both France and Australia, still lifes, portraits and animal studies – all embodying the unique approach of Meldrum and his followers. The ‘Meldrumites’ – a talented group of artists such as A M E Bale, Clarice Beckett, Colin Colahan and Polly Hurry – were deeply influenced by Meldrum’s teachings, and their works are also prominently featured. Many of these artists either lived or worked in the area now known as the City of Boroondara.
Also on display are fascinating studio artifacts, including plaster casts, palettes and photographs, offering a deeper insight into the artists’ creative processes. The exhibition will be accompanied by a limited-edition publication, providing further context and reflection on this significant collection.
Featuring: A M E Bale, Clarice Beckett, Colin Colahan, Archie and Amalie Colquhoun, Polly Hurry, John Farmer, Alma Figuerola, Justus Jorgensen, William Frater, Carl Hampel, Percy Leason, Max Meldrum, Jim Minogue, A E Newbury, Arnold Shore and others.
Text from the Boroondara Arts website
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025
A D Colquhoun (Australian, 1894-1983)
Self Portrait
c. 1922
Oil on oak panel
21 x 15.8cm
L August Cornehls (Australian, 1887-1962)
Self Portrait
c. 1924
Oil on canvas on cardboard
26.7 x 22cm (oval)
Alma Figuerola (Australian, 1902-1970)
Self Portrait
c. 1926
Oil on cardboard
19.5 x 15cm
John Farmer (Australian, 1897-1989)
Self portrait
c. 1926
Oil on canvas
20.5 x 15.3cm
Australian Tonalism wall text Meldrum’s Painting Theory
Installation views of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of Max Meldrum
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
Brume (Mist)
c. 1907
Study, Le Clocher
c. 1908
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
Lever de Soleil (Sunrise)
1910
Oil on canvas
35 x 26.8cm
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
Chene et Peupliers (Oak Tree and Poplars)
c. 1907
Oil on canvas
33.5 x 32cm
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
Esquisse (Sketch)
c. 1904
Haystacks, Brittany
c. 1908
Australian Tonalism wall text Meldrum in France
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
Pont de Grenelle, Paris
1929
Oil on canvas sketching panel
33.3 x 40.5cm
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of Max Meldrum
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
The Glade, Eltham
c. 1920
Oil on canvas on board
44 x 42cm
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
The Pool
1923
Oil on canvas on board
34 x 37.5cm
Max Meldrum (Scottish, 1875-1955)
The Bottom of the Hill (Eltham Reserve)
1925
Oil on canvas on board
32.5 x 42cm
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025
Max Dupain (Australian, 1911-1992)
Photograph of Max Meldrum
1937
Gelatin silver photograph
47.5 x 33.7cm (image)
Installation views of the exhibition ‘Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection’ at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of Colin Colahan
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
Bridge Road, Evening
c. 1929
Oil on linen on board
33 x 40.8cm
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
Untitled (Streetscape)
1919
Oil on cardboard
32.2 x 23cm
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
Kings Road, Chelsea
1940
Oil on board
46 x 38cm
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
The Green Fence
1930
Oil on canvas on board
45.3 x 38cm
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
Swanston Street, Melbourne
c. 1930
Oil on canvas on board
45 x 37.7cm
Colin Colahan (Australian, 1897-1987)
Swanston Street, Melbourne (detail)
c. 1930
Oil on canvas on board
45 x 37.7cm
Tone, Proportion and Colour: A Brief Overview of the Exhibition
John R. Perry, March 2025
In 1974 Peter and I purchased a small sketch of a Brittany sunset by Max Meldrum. We have continued collecting works by Meldrum and painters associated with him for over forty-five years. Our aim has been to develop a representative, well composed collection of quality work by Australian Tonalists. The emphasis has been on Meldrum’s earlier works and those of his early associates. His work was at its most sensitive and his influence greatest in this period.
We have in this exhibition some of Meldrum’s rare early French landscapes including several by his brother-in-law Charles Nitsch. There are also works which I believe to be the first truly modern Australian paintings, produced at Eltham in 1917. Meldrum developed a simplified approach to his art and two works, The Three Trees (1917) and Cloudy Summer Afternoon, Eltham (1917) illustrate this progress. They give a true sense of space and atmosphere, all the more striking when seen with what a direct and simple means these effects are obtained. These compact and luminous studies show us the first evidence of the painter putting his perceptual theory into practice.
William Frater and Arnold Shore were major figures in the development of the modern movement in Melbourne and are included in this exhibition to illustrate the influence Meldrum had on these two under-appreciated painters…
The works of Clarice Beckett and Polly Hurry are generally one of soft-focus, for these lovers of mist and crepuscular fogs pay homage to the painters Eugene Carriere and James McNeill Whistler. The works of John Farmer, A E Newbury and to some degree Richard McCann, evolved into their respective personal styles which owe more to Camille Corot than to Meldrum. Their landscapes of subtle delicacy and feathery texture elicit many comparisons with the work of the great French Barbizon School painters…
Having both decided early on our collecting paths, that conventional collecting was not for us, we decided to be more objective, learning to appreciated and admire the work of the Australian Tonalists. As our collection grew, we were willing to leave the beat track, avoiding art dealers, art writers and critics, committing ourself to dealing directly with those painters associated with the Tonalist movement.
Like John Constable, Meldrum believed that, “… in such an age as this, painting should be understood, not looked on with blind wonder, nor considered only as a poetic aspiration, but as a pursuit legitimate, scientific and mechanical.”2
John Constable, quoted in The Letters of John Constable, ed. by R.B. Beckett (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1955), p. 530.
Alice Marian Ellen Bale (Australian, 1875-1955)
Self portrait
1925
Oil on canvas
75 x 62.5cm
Town hall Gallery Collection
Australian Tonalism Alice Bale self portrait wall text
Installation view of the exhibition Australian Tonalism: A selection from the John and Peter Perry Collection at the Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, Melbourne, May – July, 2025 showing the work of A M E Bale
A M E Bale (Australian, 1876-1955)
Interior (83 Walpole Street, Kew)
c. 1928
Oil on board
31 x 23.5cm
A M E Bale (Australian, 1876-1955)
Pompon Dahlias
c. 1936
Oil on canvas
56 x 46cm
A M E Bale (Australian, 1876-1955)
In Castlemaine Gardens (The Wall of Poplars)
1922
Oil on canvas
28.5 x 23cm
Richard McCann (Australian, 1889-1970)
The Cottage
1919
Eltham
c. 1920
Heyington from Hawthorn
1927
Pont Neuf & Henri IV, Paris
1924
Richard McCann (Australian, 1889-1970)
Eltham
c. 1920
Oil on academy board
24.5 x 39.5cm
Richard McCann (Australian, 1889-1970)
Heyington from Hawthorn
1927
Oil on cedar panel
24 x 35cm
Richard McCann (Australian, 1889-1970)
The Cottage
1919
Oil on academy board
24 x 30.5cm
Justus Jorgensen (Australian, 1893-1975)
On the way to Toulon, Cassis
1927
Oil on canvas on flyboard
32.5 x 40.5cm
Justus Jorgensen (Australian, 1893-1975)
Cassis
1927
Oil on canvas on board
40.5 x 33cm
John Rowell (Australian, 1894-1973)
The Roadway
c. 1920
Oil on canvas on flyboard
21.7 x 21.5cm
William Rowell (Australian, 1898-1946)
The Barn
1926
Oil on academy board
28.5 x 30.5cm
Charles Nitsch (French, 1882-1972)
Picherit’s Farm, Pace, Brittany
c. 1910
Oil on cotton on board
32.5 x 40cm
Australian Tonalism wall text Charles Nitsch
A D Colquhoun (Australian, 1894-1983)
The Avenue de l’Observatoire
1925
The Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens
c. 1925
A D Colquhoun (Australian, 1894-1983)
The Avenue de l’Observatoire
1925
Oil on wood panel
16 x 21.6cm
A D Colquhoun (Australian, 1894-1983)
The Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens
c. 1925
Oil on board
15.8 x 21.5cm
John Farmer (Australian, 1897-1989)
Misty Morning, London (detail)
1934
Oil on canvas on board
19 x 24cm
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