Lily

Born in Scotland in 1891, Ian Fairweather studied forestry at London and Edinburgh universities and art at the Slade School. He served in both world wars and in the World War I was a prisoner of war in Holland where, after three attempts to escape, he began to paint and study Chinese calligraphy.

After the war, he returned to London and to the Slade School to study art. One year later he began his life=-long study of Chinese culture and language and Japanese calligraphy. Later he was to speak Chinese fluently and translate Chinese poetry and philosophy.

Fairweather's life was diverse. He was a traveler, an artist, an aesthete and a scholar, and from 1921 for almost the next 50 years of his life all these characteristics were to remain constant.

Before arriving in Australia in 1934, he had lived, for 6 years in all, in China and spent a year in Canada. En route to Australia he traveled to the Philippines and Bali. Throughout his travels he was to continue to study Chinese philosophy and art, and particularly Calligraphy.

In Melbourne he established some artistic friendships with William Frater and George Bell and other Melbourne post-impressionists, their communality being based on post-impressionism with particular emphasis on Cezanne. An exhibition of his work in Melbourne created little attention and commercial wall painting commission from a hotel displeased him. Abandoning the work and payment for it, almost penniless, he set out again for the Philippines and finally China. By 1935, he was living in China in such poor circumstances that he was unable to buy painting materials.

Fairweather found a friend in Jim Ede, an assistant at London's Tate Gallery and a great encourager of creative talent. From 1923-54 they communicated almost entirely by letter and Ede, a poor but generous patron, provided what money he could to bail our Fairweather when he was stranded.

From 1940-43 he was traveling again in Asia but returning to Queensland to paint. World War II found him serving in the army, in India, before returning to Australia in 1943.

Despite all his travels, Fairweather was acquiring