CHARLES FURNEAUX (1835-1913
Diamond Head (282 m - 925 ft)
United States of America (Hawaï)
1. In Diamond Head, Waikiki beach, oil on canvas, 1880, Private collection
2. Waikiki with a view of Diamond Head, oil on canvas, c. 1885, Private collection
The volcano
Diamond Head (282 m - 925 ft) in Hawaiian Lē'ahi (the tuna promontory) is a crater shaped like ring of tuff about 1.2 kilometers diameter, on the island of Oahu, in the archipelago of Hawaii, in United States of America. The Diamond head figure, characteristic of Honolulu, is traditionally used as an indication of direction as opposed to Ewa, located on the west coast of the island.
Diamond Head is so called, because of the first British sailors who took calcite crystals for diamonds. Diamond Head is a funboard spot on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
The painter
Charles Furneaux was born in Boston and became a drawing instructor in that area. For many years he lived in the town of Melrose, Massachusetts. In 1880, Furneaux moved to Hawaii, where he cultivated the friendship of King Kalakaua and other members of the Hawaiian royal family, from whom he later received several commissions. In the late 1880s, he was commissioned in Honolulu by Alexander Joy Cartwright, widely credited as the "father of baseball" and another dear friend of King Kalakaua, to paint the only oil portrait of his 72-year life. While living in Honolulu he taught at the private schools Punahou and St. Albans (now known as Iolani School). In 1885, he received the order of Chevalier of Kapiolani from King Kalakaua in 'recognition of his services in advancing Hawaiian art'. He died in Hawaii in 1913.
His reputation is mainly based on the paintings he executed in Hawaii, especially those of erupting volcanoes. The Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the Brooklyn Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, Iolani Palace (Honolulu) and Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (South Hadley, Massachusetts) are among the public collections holding works by Charles Furneaux.
Charles Furneaux was born in Boston and became a drawing instructor in that area. For many years he lived in the town of Melrose, Massachusetts. In 1880, Furneaux moved to Hawaii, where he cultivated the friendship of King Kalakaua and other members of the Hawaiian royal family, from whom he later received several commissions. In the late 1880s, he was commissioned in Honolulu by Alexander Joy Cartwright, widely credited as the "father of baseball" and another dear friend of King Kalakaua, to paint the only oil portrait of his 72-year life. While living in Honolulu he taught at the private schools Punahou and St. Albans (now known as Iolani School). In 1885, he received the order of Chevalier of Kapiolani from King Kalakaua in 'recognition of his services in advancing Hawaiian art'. He died in Hawaii in 1913.
His reputation is mainly based on the paintings he executed in Hawaii, especially those of erupting volcanoes. The Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the Brooklyn Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, Iolani Palace (Honolulu) and Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (South Hadley, Massachusetts) are among the public collections holding works by Charles Furneaux.
2018 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
