The Artists

Eugene von Guerard

EUGENE von GUERARD
VIEW OF THE GRANITE ROCKS AT CAPE WOOLAMAI, 1872

EUGENE von GUERARD
Born Vienna 1811, Died London 1901

VIEW OF THE GRANITE ROCKS AT CAPE WOOLAMAI, 1872
oil on canvas mounted on composition board
21.0 x 36.0 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Eugene von Guerard has captured in this dramatic seascape, the rock formation known as the Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai. Cape Woolamai is situated on the south-west tip of Phillip Island.

The name Cape Woolamai, was originally given by navigator, George Bass in 1798, describing the area as 'a high and rather steep cape resembling a snapper's head.'

The name for the Cape was adopted from the Aboriginal, 'woolamai', meaning snapper. From 1891, the red granite in this area was mined from Red Point, Cape Woolamai, and shipped to Melbourne, where it was used for many of the early buildings in the City of Melbourne.

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Left: Arthur Streeton - Above Us The Great Grave Sky, 1890
Collection: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.