Pics from the Past | Shepparton’s boy genius artist

It was here in Shepp that young Virgil’s artistic talents really developed.

This article in the Shepparton Advertiser, 1910, gives us a great insight into his talent and work:

“In his upper floor room (post office), facing Wyndham St, from which he can view the daily march to and fro, and the rush and bustle of humanity, he is hard at work with his paints and crayons, drawing faces or sketching a landscape. Now touching up a seascape, then dashing off a bush scene; or painting a bird or flower, before taking up a cardboard for completing a charming poster under commission to a leading local business firm. The variety of his subjects is amazing; the delicacy of his brush is fascinating; the firmness and impressiveness of his art is significant; and the true quality of his genius, convincing. Not many years ago … he applied for admission to the Art Gallery in Melbourne (National Gallery Art School). He soon brought himself under the notice of the art master Mr (Frederick) McCubbin, well known throughout Australia for his paintings. ‘Well, my boy, what is it you want?’ asked the kindly old gentleman. ‘I want to learn how to draw and paint,’ was the reply. ‘Have you ever done any?’ ‘Yes sir,’ answered the lad, as he unrolled some of his work; and Mr McCubbin saw enough to assure him that his juvenile interviewer was no fanciful enthusiast or dreamer, but that the artistic penchant was strong in him, so he said: ‘Very well, come tomorrow with your crayons and we will see what we can do for you.’ Virgil Reilly was there the next day, at the appointed hour: all the world seemed open to him in his youthful joy; and it was not long that he justified Mr McCubbin’s confidence in him. Within eight months he was at the top of his class; but health failing he was obliged to abandon further attendances and remain at home, for Virgil at a tenderer age, when at Creswick, had met with a severe accident from which he has never fully recovered. Indeed at one time it was thought that he would not survive it. However, at home, he spends no idle hours, and to visit his room is to derive rare pleasure, if not actual inspiration, for table and chairs, floor and walls, are covered with his pictures and posters.”

Other articles around this time when he was living in Shepp also include his success in having two of his cover designs published by the Australian Life magazine. He was also commissioned to do a painting for the Australian actress Nellie Stewart and also Lady Gibson-Carmichael, wife of Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, the Governor of Victoria at the time (1908-11).

“From early in his career Reilly signed his artworks with a distinctive signature, ‘Virgil’. The artist was a man of short stature; in later life he referred to himself as ‘one of Sydney’s oldest leprechauns’.” (Wikipedia)

“In 1912 Virgil’s family leaves Shepparton as his father takes up an appointment as the postmaster in St Kilda. Now living in Melbourne Virgil starts to get freelance work with motion picture advertising firms, newspapers and publishing companies. In about 1917 he relocates to Sydney to draw advertising graphics for motion picture releases. He also did work for a few newspapers as a cartoonist and an exponent of black and white work. From 1925 to 1938 he was employed as a staff artist with Smith’s Weekly, the independent Sydney tabloid newspaper that gave prominence to cartoons and illustrations in its pages. Increasingly interspersed among his contributions were cartoons featuring young women, a theme that progressively predominated in his illustrations for Smith’s. With his drawings of sultry young women, Reilly had found his niche. By 1926 they represented the majority of his contributions. By the late 1920s Reilly’s series of cartoons of confident young women in Smith’s Weekly began to be known as ‘Virgil’s Girls’.’’ (Wikipedia)

In 1938 Virgil left Smith’s Weekly and joined the staff of Frank Packer’s company, Consolidated Press, which published The Daily Telegraph and the Australian Women’s Weekly.

From this time through the 1940s he produced an abundance of his Virgil Girls, cartoons of all descriptions and many war illustrations.

Virgil was among a select number of artists whose paintings were regularly used to illustrate the cover of the Australian Woman’s Weekly.

I have collected 44 thus far.

An impressive collection. See last week’s Pics of the Past for his patriotic cover for the early months of World War II.

“During the early to mid-1950s, Reilly was probably ‘one of the busiest and most prolific’ of Australia’s comic artists, illustrating upwards of 48 pages of material per month. He was also busy illustrating books for a number of publishers. In 1958 Reilly won the inaugural Walkley Award for the Best Piece of Creative Artwork or Cartoon for an illustration published in Sydney’s Daily Mirror newspaper.” (Wikipedia)

Virgil was first married in 1918 and the couple had four children, Gavin, Terence, Jervis and Fabian. He married again in 1935 and again in 1950.

Virgil died of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1974 in Sydney, aged 82.

I contacted the Shepparton Art Gallery to see if they had heard of him and if they had any of his works in their collection. They had not heard of him nor did they have any of his works. A shame. I wonder if we can find some.

It is also worth noting that during my research I found mentioned that Virgil did indeed meet the famous Shepparton artist John Longstaff.

In a 1913 Shepparton Advertiser article speaking of Virgil’s recent work and commissions it ends with: “Thus we find that Mr John Longstaff’s appreciation of the young artist’s talents are being realised.”