The (political) Appointment of Official War Artist Richard Ashton

The Official War Art Scheme

Official war artists were appointed to document and interpret Australia's wartime experience through art, creating a visual record for the Australian War Memorial's national collection. Working alongside service personnel, they recorded military operations and everyday life in wartime, preserving perspectives often absent from photographs and written accounts.

The Ashton artistic legacy

Julian Richard Ashton, known as Richard, was the grandson of Julian Rossi Ashton, founder of the Sydney Art School in 1890 (later to be known as the Julian Ashton Art School), a renowned Australian arts institution.

It was here, studying under his grandfather, that Ashton received the classical art training that helped establish himself as an artist by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Ashton applied for a position as a war artist in July 1941:

I wish to apply for a position as a War artist in any one of the services (preferably Navy) and am eager to serve in such a capacity at home or abroad… I am particularly anxious to help the war effort to the best of my ability and I hope the opportunity will arise so that I may do so.

Unluckily for Ashton, he applied just before the official war artist program was assigned to the Australian War Memorial. The program still lay with the Military History Section within the Directorate of Public Relations.

Having received no response, Ashton enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force in December 1941. Had he applied only a fortnight later, he might have avoided the administrative mess in which he would become ensnared.

Art during active service

Ashton made the best of his situation, and while on active service in New Guinea wrote to apply again:

I have made full use of my spare time here and have made numerous drawings, watercolours and oils of both the air activity, which is considerable, and the life and surroundings. These works I have no doubt would be of value as an addition to our records of this war… I would hail with delight the chance of giving my whole time and talents to a job which would be of benefit to future generations.

All I ask is official recognition, so that I am granted considerably more licence both in choice of subject and censorship.

A long-awaited appointment

Ashton's letter was received with a covering letter from his father, Howard Ashton. A prominent artist, critic and journalist, Howard was serving as president of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales at the time of Richard's application.

It was quickly followed by a letter from Louis McCubbin, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, and a member of the Memorial’s art committee.

Both spoke highly of Ashton’s talents and supported his application. After it was “ascertained Ashton [was a] competent artist”, the Memorial’s acting Director, Arthur Bazley, sent an urgent memo on 26 May 1942 proposing his immediate appointment.

The unusual and hasty nature of his appointment was the first of a series of regrettable events to punctuate Ashton’s engagement. The way in which he was appointed caused administrative discord, as neatly summarised in a letter by Colonel Treloar to Louis McCubbin:

Ashton… has up to the present been rather messed about. At that time [of his appointment] the Military History Section was part of the Directorate of Public Relations. The latter appears to have been unaware that there were in effect two different classes of artists, and took no action to regularise Ashton’s appointment, while the War Memorial did nothing since the proposal put to them was that Ashon should be an A.I.F. artist.

Despite the recommendation he should be given the same conditions as fellow war artist Captain Ivor Hele, Ashton remained a corporal. He was not given an honorary commission as an officer, as had become practice for other official war artist appointments.

Illness, frustrations and setbacks

Ashton was also plagued by difficulties in acquiring requested supplies. Perhaps this was the least of his worries though, as he also spent time in hospital with dysentery, had his appendix out, and caught dengue fever for which he was sent home to Australia to recuperate from.

 So, he spent most of his appointment working from his studio in Sydney, working on paintings from his time in New Guinea and recording military activities in and around Sydney.

Though he asked to return to New Guinea, when he was selected to go as part of a Military History Section group in April 1943, he withdrew for personal reasons. His relationship with Treloar had become strained. A long scathing letter from his father to General Blamey was perhaps the final straw.

Writing in his position as President of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Ashton’s father attacks the official war artist program. The Royal Art Society council expressed

… profound concern and dissatisfaction at the neglect and disorganisation shown in the work of collecting an artistic record of the war in Australia and the Territories, and deplores the lack of knowledge displayed, and the treatment of artists.

In reply, Treloar wrote a staunch defence of the program in a letter to Bazley, alongside an account of the history of Ashton’s employment by the Military History Section.

Ashton reverted to the rank of sapper at his own request and continued to create artwork in a private capacity.

A lasting contribution

Though tumultuous, his brief appointment and private work (later purchased by the Memorial in the 1970s), resulted in the addition of over 200 drawings and paintings to the Memorial’s collection recording Australia’s involvement in the Second World War.

The application and appointment file for Richard Ashton as an Official War Artist (AWM93 50/4/2/10) will be available online shortly.