Augustus Nicholas Burke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Professor Augustus Burke RHA
Connemara Girl by Augustus J. N. Burke (National Gallery of Ireland)
Born	Augustus Joseph Nicholas Burke (1838-07-28)July 28, 1838 Glinsk, County Galway
Died	1891 (aged 52–53) Italy
Nationality	Irish
Education	Royal Academy of Arts, London
Known for	Landscapes Portraits
Awards	Academician Royal Hibernian Academy

Augustus Joseph Nicholas Burke (born July 28, 1838 – died 1891) was a talented Irish artist. He was also a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), which is a special group for artists in Ireland.

Early Life of Augustus Burke

Augustus Burke was born in a place called Glinsk in County Galway, Ireland. His family was well-known in the area. He was the sixth son of William Burke. One of his brothers, Theobald Hubert Burke, became a Baronet. Another brother, Thomas Henry Burke, worked for the Irish government.

Augustus Burke's Art Career

Augustus showed a strong interest in drawing from a young age. He especially loved to paint the people and beautiful landscapes of Connemara in Ireland. He started his art training at the Royal Academy in London.

• Augustus Burke showed his paintings at the Royal Academy and the Royal Hibernian Academy starting in 1863.
• He continued to exhibit his art until he passed away.
• He also taught painting as a Professor at the Royal Hibernian Academy.

From 1870 to 1872, Augustus lived in the Netherlands. There, he painted several scenes of Dutch life. He was one of the first Irish artists to visit and paint in Brittany, a region in France. He displayed fifteen paintings from Brittany at the Royal Hibernian Academy between 1876 and 1878.

Besides these places, he also painted in his home country of Ireland. He traveled to Scotland and England to capture their scenery as well. In the 1880s, Burke visited an artists' community in Walberswick, England. This community was started by another artist named Philip Wilson Steer. Augustus Burke's student, Walter Osborne, also painted with him there.

Later Years

In 1882, a very sad event happened involving his brother, Thomas. Augustus was deeply affected by this. Because of his grief, he left his teaching job at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He then moved with his family, first to England, and later to Italy.

Famous Paintings

Two of Augustus Burke's most well-known paintings are Connemara Girl and A Connemara Landscape. You can see both of these artworks at the National Gallery of Ireland.

It's quite rare to find many of his paintings today. This is because a fire destroyed his art studio in 1916. The fire happened at the Abbey Street buildings of the RHA. Also, many of his paintings were hidden away in a cellar for over ninety years. They were only found recently!

Gallery

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  Study of Trees, Viceregal Lodge (1870), Dublin City Gallery

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  Ponte de Vecchio, Florence

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  On the Banks of the Liffey, Kildare, August

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  A misty morning, Holland (1874)

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  Crossing the bridge

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  Head of old woman

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  Portrait of Walter Frederick Osborne (1875)