31 Rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris, France
Conder studied at the Académie Julian in Paris.
31 Rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris, France
Conder studied at the Académie Julian in Paris.
From left to right: Charles Conder, Stella Maris Condor and Florence Humphrey in Normandy, France.
Charles Conder was born on October 24, 1868 in Tottenham, London, United Kingdom. He was a son of James Conder, a civil engineer, and Mary Ann Ayres. At the age of two, Charles travelled with his family to India, where his father obtained a post as a railway engineer, but following his mother's early death in 1873, he was sent back to England to be educated.
In 1877, Conder started to attend a boarding school in Eastbourne, which he left at the age of fifteen, when he decided to become a painter. But in 1884, Charles was sent to New South Wales, Australia, by his strict and very non-artistic father, in order to train under his uncle, William Jacomb Conder, a land surveyor for the New South Wales authority, with the eventual aim of becoming an engineer. During his time in Australia, Charles also attended night classes at the Art Society of New South Wales.
Some time later, the painter left for Europe. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he befriended William Rothenstein. There, in France, Charles also attended Cormon's atelier.
In 1884, Charles started to work in surveying camps in rural New South Wales, where he was sent by his father, combining surveying with sketching. Two years later, in 1886, he left the job, and started to produce illustrations for the newspaper "Illustrated Sydney News", a position Conder held till 1888.
From October 1888 to April 1890, Conder lived in Melbourne, where he befriended many Australian artists, including Arthur Streeton. Also, Charles shared a studio with Tom Roberts, whom he had previously met in Sydney. Some time later, he rented his own studio. Together with Arthur Streeton and other painters, Charles spent the summers of 1888-1890 at the Eaglemont "camp" near Heidelberg.
On August 17, 1889, Conder took part in "9 by 5 Impression Exhibition". Also, he contributed to the exhibitions of the Victorian Artists' Society of November 1888, May 1889 and March 1890.
In 1890, Conder left Australia and spent the rest of his life in Europe, mainly England. At that period, he also made frequent journeys to Normandy and Dieppe in France, where he visited his friends Jacques-Émile Blanche and Fritz Thaulow and painted garden and beach scenes in oil. After 1895, Charles became interested in fan designs, made in water-colour on silk, which laid the foundations of his fame. It was at that time, that he was encouraged by William Rothenstein to make lithographs. However, for much of his time, he was affected by episodes of ill-health, including paralysis and psychotic disturbances, and spent his final two years confined to a sanatorium.
Charles Conder was one of Australia's best landscape painters of the late 1880's, who played an invaluable role in the evolution of the first Australian school of outdoor painting. In 1991, in recognition of his contribution to Australian art, the Canberra suburb of Conder was named after him.
Also, the painter's works are kept in the collections of different galleries of Australia, including the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane and others.
Charles Conder was an extrovert, who was also preoccupied with social life.
On December 5, 1900, Conder married Stella Maris Belford, who gave him financial security. For for the next six years after their marriage, Charles led a social life of ease and elegance. Their marriage produced no children.
