Deutscher and Hackett

In 1864, when the Victorian Colonial Government offered a prize of two hundred pounds for the best painting by a colonial artist, Henry Gritten entered a view of Melbourne from the Botanic Gardens. Adding to the prestige of such a prize was the fact that the winning entry was to be acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria. Although the prize went to Nicholas Chevalier's large oil The Buffalo Ranges, Gritten's painting received much favourable comment. Singled out by a reviewer for The Illustrated Melbourne Post, it was described as 'possessing the merit of being carefully circumstantial in local details, its contrasts of colour are highly pleasing, and the coolness and repose which characterize the effect are very refreshing to the eye.'¹ This was followed a few days later with the additional observation that 'the individualities of the foliage are very carefully preserved', and 'Being a local subject, familiar to everybody, its attractiveness is sure to be maintained.'² This was most likely his first painting of the subject. Interest in Gritten's paintings of the Botanic Gardens, however, continued when The Illustrated Melbourne Post of 25 August 1865 published a full-page illustration titled 'The Botanical Gardens, with View of Melbourne in the Distance'.³ The accompanying article on the Gardens noted that, 'From the position represented in the accompanying engraving, a most splendid view is to be obtained.'⁴ The writer continued, 'In the summer months of the year, the Gardens are visited by large crowds of people, who assemble principally around the bandstand, which is situated close to the spot indicated in the engraving.'

Gritten's View of Melbourne Looking Across the Yarra from the Botanical Gardens, 1865, and other paintings of the Gardens and the spectacular view bear witness to the popularity of the subject, city and they were his favoured works. In those days, it was a common practice to repeat popular subjects. To maintain interest and individuality, however, Gritten added subtle variations such as the presence of different figures, trees, and other botanical details. In one painting, he left out people altogether, while others show fashionably-attired men and women in polite conversations, or a mother wheeling a pram, as in our painting. All were taken from the same spot with its splendid panorama of Melbourne against the distant backdrop of Mt Macedon. The gothic spires of Scots Church and St Enoch's, of St Patrick's Cathedral and the Parliament building under construction, and the new, Renaissance-styled Treasury building all bear striking witness to the city's rapid growth.

1. 'The Fine Arts in Victoria', The Illustrated Melbourne Post, 22 December 1864, p. 3
2. 'Exhibition of Fine Art', ibid, 24 December 1864, p. 5
3. ibid, 25 August 1865, p. 121
4. ibid, p. 122

DAVID THOMAS