John Ford Paterson (1851,Dundee – 30 June 1912,Carlton), often referred to asFord orJ. Ford Paterson,[1] was a Scottish-born Australian artist.[2] He specialised in landscapes.
While still a teenager, he began his studies at theRoyal Scottish Academy inEdinburgh and exhibited his first works shortly after turning twenty. In 1872, he followed his family toMelbourne, where he remained for three years, but returned to Scotland when he found that the local art instruction did not meet his needs for further development. Once back, he came under the influence of theGlasgow School and held numerous exhibitions, inLiverpool andManchester as well as throughout Scotland. As his reputation grew, he was able to join the prestigiousSavage Club in London.
In 1884, he decided to return to Australia and, except for one short visit home, would remain there for the rest of his life. It was then that he became primarily known as a landscape painter.[2] Paterson renewed his friendship with the Swiss-born landscape painterLouis Buvelot,[3] a major influence on theHeidelberg School, whoseen plein air methods suited Paterson.[4] Otherwise, hisRomantic style was at odds with the moreImpressionistic approach of the Heidelbergers and his exhibitions with the group were only moderately successful. His brother Charles hadGrosvenor Chambers built at number 9Collins Street, Melbourne, in which numbers of the Heidelberg painters had studios, and many artists since, but whether John F. Paterson also worked there is unknown.
He joined theBuonarotti Club and itsplein air painting camps.[5] Together with several other well-known artists, he broke away from theVictorian Academy of Art to help create theAustralian Art Association, which eventually joined with other organizations to become theVictorian Artists Society. In 1902, Paterson became its President. In the same year he was appointed a trustee of the public library, museums andNational Gallery of Victoria.[2]
During economic downturns, he would support himself by poultry farming. Although well-liked and outgoing, he never married and died, suddenly, at home.[4]
His nieces,Esther Paterson andBetty Paterson, were illustrators and cartoonists[6] and his nephew,Louis Esson, was a poet and playwright.
Media related toJohn Ford Paterson at Wikimedia Commons
