Knud Geelmuyden Bull (1811–1889), Norwegian-born convict artist, Robert Stevens
Abstract:
Knud Bull was born in Norway. He trained as an artist and painted in Norway, Dresden, Copenhagen and Stockholm before moving to London in 1845, where he was arrested for counterfeiting and sentenced to 14 years transportation in Australia. Arriving at Norfolk Island, after nine months he was transferred to Van Diemen’s Land, where he gradually gained more freedom and was able to paint. Absconding in 1850 brought him only a month of freedom, but he luckily got his ticket- of-leave in 1852, and married another convict soon after. Bull continued to paint Tasmanian portraits and landscapes,and dabbled in photography. In 1856, he left Tasmania. Robert Stevens continues to follow his life, painting portraits and landscapes, and occasionally getting into trouble with the law, through Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Ballarat and finally Sydney, where he died aged 77.
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