About this work
G. F. Folingsby trained in Germany, and his reputation as a figure painter enabled him to make a living from portrait commissions of members of Melbourne society. He was appointed Painting Master at the National Gallery School in 1882 and taught an impressive cohort of students, including Frederick McCubbin, John Longstaff and Rupert Bunny. Folingsby instigated a restructure of the School and introduced a full academic curriculum, with the intention that students would leave the school as professional artists. The first of the triennial Travelling Scholarships, which allowed the winning student to study in Europe, was introduced under his directorship in 1887.