Letter 10 - Justus Jorgensen

Justus Jörgensen was a Melbourne-born artist, draughtsman and teacher whose life joined painting, architecture and community. Born in East Brighton in 1893, he first trained as a draughtsman before studying at the National Gallery schools from 1915 to 1917. He later joined Max Meldrum and became part of the tonal movement, where light, shadow and atmosphere mattered more than sharp outline.
In 1924, the same year as Isabel’s story, Jörgensen married Lilya Smith and left Australia for Europe. He travelled through France and England, absorbing the old villages, galleries and buildings that would later shape his vision. After returning to Melbourne, he taught, painted and eventually founded Montsalvat at Eltham, an artists’ colony made from mudstone, timber, salvaged windows and romantic ambition.
For Isabel, Jörgensen belongs to a Melbourne that is changing quietly beneath the surface, a city of tearooms and theatres, but also studios, bohemian friendships and people determined to make art their life. His world suggests the freedom Christian longs for: not merely to paint, but to live differently.

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