Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC
COUNCIL & STAFF
PRESIDENT
Mark Bagally FVAS TREASURER
Raymond Barro EXHIBITING
Bruce Baldey VAS
Meg Davoren-Honey OAM VAS FVAS
Lucy Maddox
Nathalie Anne Henningsen
Gino Severin
Liz Moore Golding VAS
D’Arcy Rouillard
NON-EXHIBITING
Rosemary Noble HON FVAS
Ron Smith OAM HON FVAS
MANAGER & SECRETARY
Kari Lyon PhD
EDUCATION & PROGRAMS COORDINATOR
Lucy Taylor Schmitzer
MARKETING & DESIGN COORDINATOR
Catherine Jaworski
GALLERY ASSISTANT, INSTALLATION & CURATION
Sam Bruere
GALLERY ASSISTANT & ADMINISTRATOR
Rhiannon Lawrie
GALLERY & PROGRAMS ASSISTANT
Lucy Wilde
CONSULTANT
Anne Scott Pendlebury HON FVAS
HONORARY HISTORIAN
Andrew Mackenzie OAM HON FVAS VAS
MAGAZINE EDITOR
Bruce Baldey VAS
MAGAZINE DESIGNER
Catherine Jaworski
The VAS Magazine is printed through the Office of the Victorian Artists Society. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the VAS Council or the editors of this magazine. Articles from members will be appreciated. Contributions will be published on a strictly honorary basis and no payment will be made. The Victorian Artists Society acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present, and the Aboriginal Elders of other communities.
Cover Image: Interior, Ray Hewitt, (cropped)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Fall of the Best
Inside the VAS Autumn Select Exhibition
words Rhiannon Lawrie
This year's Autumn Select boasted large scale and inventive pieces. Til the Light Suddenly Dawns by 2025
Coterie member Caterina Leone and Elly by Lucy Wilde had fun playing with medium and framing whilst Michael Smith's Scrub In is a cheeky nostalgic piece of the VAS studio history. I found myself a big fan of TJ Murphy's still life,
an impressive capture of an interesting vintage object. Our winner, Nina Volk, brings us deep into rainy moody Autumn after our long, warm Summer. Altogether, our Autumn Select shows an impressive collection of our vast array of members and how they are progressing through 2025.
Winner
King Valley Cnr Bakery Lane & H/W Road, Nina Volk
Vintage Fan, TJ Murphy
The Wave, Mary Hyde VAS
Sunny Morning, Zhong Hua Fan
'Til the Light Suddenly Dawns, Caterina Leone
Old Victorian BreweryDeconstruction, Wendy Colliver
Horizons, Maxine Wain
Cooling Off, Jo Taylor Time Will Tell, Maria Radun
Home, Joe Whyte
Oysters, Lucy Maddox
A Journey Through the Clouds, Sam Bruere VAS
Creagh Manning
artist spotlight
Ipaint a diverse range of motifs, each reflecting my interests at the time. What captivates me most is not just the subject itself, but how I choose to represent it. I'm particularly drawn to the underlying geometric forms of objects and how they interact within the composition. For me, creating a sense of overall unity matters more than simply replicating what I see. To achieve this, I draw on the entire
history of painting as a source of inspiration and technique.
Left Above: Seated Nude, acrylic and oil on canvas board
Left Below: Ghost of Love, oil on linen on board
Right Above: River Snags, oil on linen
Right Below: Ebony, oil on canvas on board
The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
words Meg Davoren Honey OAM VAS FVAS
The Victorian Artists Society had another successful exhibition at the International Flower and Garden show in the Carlton gardens this March. We had 86 entries and sold 12 paintings. We handed out many flyers and gave information to the interested viewers as they wended their way through the many artworks on display. It is most important that we enter this show
as it spreads our name through the community and we gain new members.
Thank you to the staff and council members who installed the works and dismantled at the end, namely Catherine Jaworski, Sam Bruere, Gino Severin, Kari Lyon and myself.
A big thank you to the rostered monitors - Megan Garratt, Karen
Garratt, Viola Middleton, Jane Kessler, Liz Moore Golding, Alan Wise, Marg Picken, Janet Pagan, Dolores Sanding, Julie Merrigan, Jo Reitze, Marion Chapman, Adrienne Leith, Samatha Oiao, Lesley Sterling, Rhi Edwards, Teresa Brimo, Rohini Senghani, Lynn Banna, Claire Holt, Nic Kirkman, Beverley Griffin, Florence Wang, Marketa Kemp.
Installation crew, left to right: Sam Bruere, Gino Severin, Meg Davoren Honey, Catherine Jaworski (not pictured: Kari Lyon)
In Review descript by Jennifer Fyfe
I’d been looking forward to Jennifer Fyfe’s solo show ‘descript’ for some time. She’s an artist I have long admired, particularly for her portraits, which have a breath of life about them, making us feel we know (or would like to know) the person depicted. The show exceeded my expectations. Each painting is made on the cover of a book and in this way we are presented with the idea that art too, is a medium for story-telling. Some of the stories accompanying the paintings are of the sitter, and some are of the book upon which the painting has been made.
Fyfe has a rare gift for rendering her subjects with great skill and sensitivity. There is an understated exuberance in her brushwork and a rare ability to capture the sitter's personality. The paint is thick and sumptuous and effortlessly applied. In many instances, she cleverly incorporates the graphic of the book cover into the portrait itself. This is a highly original show, one of the most captivating exhibitions I have seen in a long time.
words Fiona O'Byrne
Jennifer Fyfe, Kate Ceberano and Desiree Crossing
The Ceramic Art Of China and Other Countries of the Far East
Step By Step Cookery
Story of a Diamond
The Splendid Book For Boys
The World's Greatest Paintings Volume III
RAAF Saga
The Wonder Book of Wonders
Coterie Artists Shine Bright This Autumn at VAS
words Lucy Maddox
It’s been a vibrant start to the year for our VAS Hansen Little Coterie residents, who continue to bring fresh energy and creative momentum to the Society.
Our 2025 cohort – Andrew Li, Jenn Huang, Jemma Cakebread, Madaline Harris-Schober, Caterina Leone and Swathi Madike – achieved their first programme milestone with submissions to the VAS Autumn Select exhibition. We’re proud to share that all were selected for such a highly competitive show from the VAS membership. It was an incredible way to kick off their residency!
Adding to the celebration, two artists from last year’s Coterie also made it into the Autumn Select. Liz Gridley received a Highly Commended award
from judge Lisa Wang for her “playful” portrait, while Michael Smith delighted viewers with his wry still life of the studio sink. Meanwhile, the other 2024 residents showcased their work at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, continuing to share their artistic journeys and strengthening the presence of the Coterie within our broader VAS community.
This autumn term, our Coterie artists are diving deep into technique and practice, taking part in a 20-hour alla prima intensive with myself as well as individual placements with mentors from our talented teaching artist faculty. Lead mentors Gregory R. Smith, Jennifer Fyfe and I have also had the pleasure of connecting with the group in more informal settings. A
small workshop on April 6th focused on still life composition, where four of the artists explored lighting, object placement, and critique. It was a joy to see their creativity flourish and to witness the strong sense of support already present within the group.
Jumping from the cosy studio to the open gallery, our residents took up the challenge of painting a live portrait alongside Jen Fyfe during her recent imprint exhibition, descript The day was made all the more special by a visit from Hansen Little Foundation CEO Vedran Drakulić, who spent some time with the young artists and viewed their work in progress. With a steady stream of gallery visitors looking on, the group rose to the occasion with poise and
professionalism. Their finished portraits were nothing short of stunning.
And for a final highlight: four Coterie members (from both the 2024 and 2025 groups) were named finalists in the prestigious VAS Norma Bull Portraiture Scholarship. Out of 46 applicants, only 17 made the final cut – and Andrew Li took out the top prize! He’ll receive $5,000 to continue his portrait studies, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for him.
With so many achievements this early in the year, we can’t wait to see what this talented group brings to the easel next.
Left and Above: Coterie artists painting with Lucy Maddox and Jennifer Fyfe in the Frater Gallery
A SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS
words Anne Scott Pendlebury Hon FVAS
Earlier this year, a book was donated to the VAS.
Portia Geach – Portrait of an Activist by Dr. Julie Cotter is an engaging biography of an artist whose multifaceted life was intertwined with the early days of our Society last century.
Julie Cotter’s account of VAS artist Portia Geach details the life of a woman who spent her years divided between working as a professional artist, and fighting the good fight as an advocate and campaigner for the housewives of Australia. This article is a look at this unusual woman, who actually had two full time careers; one from which she earned money and the other which earned her both accolades and criticism but no income. And that brings me to the title of this essay – “A Servant of Two Masters.” Is it possible to successfully pursue two distinctly different paths in life at the same time with equal energy, passion and fulfillment? Or another way of putting it is -
Can we have two careers – and still do justice to both?
Portia Swanston Geach, was born in the family apartment in Swanston Street Melbourne in 1873. She had a charming and trouble free girlhood, with parents who provided their children with love, security and confidence as well as domestic comforts and creative opportunities. Her father was in manufacturing, and spoke often of the working conditions for factory women at the time and the impact on their health. Her mother Catherine, was a hardworking fund raiser and pursued this ‘domestic crusade' by constantly baking cakes for worthy causes, as well as raising a number of children. Portia was encouraged to study art and design at Melbourne’s National Gallery School, and in 1896 won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art in London where she studied for 4 years.
Young Portia was actually the first woman to be accepted into this hallowed Academy – a remarkable achievement
for a girl at that time. On her eventual return to Melbourne, Portia exhibited with the Victorian Artists Society, and remained a member and exhibitor until her final years.
She was in her own words “a Bachelor woman.” She was independent and well travelled – there was to be no lonely, closeted existence for this young woman. She was energetic, articulate, a lover of exotic and flowing clothing and she owned an elegant three bedroom apartment in Sydney’s famous Astor building. On her many sojourns to Europe and America Portia travelled comfortably, enjoying all the facilities which first class passenger ships offered. She met many well known personalities including movie stars and politicians and was affectionately regarded by many but tied to no one in particular back in Australia.
In fact, she and her sister Kate were constant companions both in daily life and in their travels sharing accommodation and mutual interests. As a ‘bachelor woman’ Portia is portrayed as a kind of ‘free spirit’ – free to do what she wants and travel where she wants. Looking at the reproductions in Cotter’s book, I would say her art was vibrant and ahead of its time; her sense of design highly decorative and skillfully executed and her portraits strong, yet elegant. This young artist had been well trained in both Melbourne and London, and given every encouragement to pursue her career by her parents and siblings. Every possible opportunity lay ahead of her to shine brightly and succeed richly.
But… did she ever actually reach the heights of her talent?
For there was another side to Portia Swanston Geach. Very soon into her career as an artist, ‘Miss’ Geach appeared - the outspoken campaigner and activist. The plainly dressed young woman in hat and coat started protesting about the cost of fresh vegetables, and led several boycotts against the potato merchants because prices were considered too high.
She led public demonstrations against the price of Australian lamb – loudly proclaiming that costs were
far beyond the average family. This was the new Portia Geach – now staunch campaigner for the rights of the Australian housewife. She criticized Sydney’s bread prices, championed the consumption of unpasteurized milk, advocated for wheat meal and offered all sorts of nutritional advice and health care through her early radio broadcasts. Miss Geach also wrote for the first edition of ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly’ presenting some rather unheard of opinions on a variety of topics.
To the average housewife she was considered an opinionated, outspoken activist who fought for their causes and supported their need to give their families the most nutritious meals available. They listened to her, grateful for such a passionate spokesperson agitating on their behalf. Miss Geach quickly rallied many hundreds if not thousands across Australia to follow and support her.
But along the way, what happened to her art? By her own admission, Portia often ran out of time to paint
and exhibit her work – and of course one can guess why. Often the result of her hastily rendered efforts was a quickly ‘whipped up’ entry for a VAS Spring or Autumn exhibition. So was it any wonder that her works were frequently overlooked for commendation and ignored by the newspaper Art Critics of the day.
Could it be that her passion for activism overtook what perhaps should have been the main driving force in her life – her art? I mean, what a start for a young artist- to be the first female accepted into London’s Royal Academy- an opportunity only dreamed of by most emerging young painters.
And it was not as if she was campaigning for the freedom and independence of single women like herself – advocating for them to live free and creative lives unencumbered by babies and domestic worries. No, Miss Geach was obsessed by the price of meat, and whether or not eggs should be sold to the housewife chilled or fresh.
She had no experience keeping house, sharing life with a husband or
Burdekin House Macquarie St Sydney, Oil, 1920, SLNSW
partner, raising children or even making weekly trips to the market. As a young girl, she certainly was exposed to her mother’s avid fund raising and her father’s warnings about dangerous working conditions for female factory workers, but it does not really explain Portia’s fanatical campaigns within Australia and even abroad angrily confronting the captains of industry and powerful businessmen on behalf of mothers everywhere.
So what mysterious force drove her?
How did this artist know exactly what was best for the average housewife and her family? I think she attempted to serve two masters – her Art and her Activism – both in equal measure right up until her death in 1959, and for this she received criticism from all pockets of society.
Firstly as a single woman, campaigning in areas in which she had no experience – namely feeding families. A common opinion was that she should stay with what she knew. Secondly, there were also ongoing unfavorable comments from within art circles regarding her lack of commitment to her profession. People asked why this artist would refuse a commission or enter a late and half hearted work into an important exhibition. She was single, free from dependants and had all the time she needed to prepare for an exhibition, so why was she so undisciplined in her chosen profession?
Perhaps Portia the artist, and Miss Geach the activist and ambassador for the rights of the ‘Housewife’ was torn between two worlds- the
world of art and the world of political agitating.
Was she trying to serve both but failed to be master of either?
Or could it be that having dual “careers” she relied on one to propel the other?
Maybe she hoped that her art might fuel the energy she needed to fight her many battles and social reforms and the fight she put into her activism and campaigning might stimulate her creativity and inspire her painting?
I can appreciate someone pursuing perhaps a singing as well as an instrumental career and making a success of it – or perhaps a painter combining their art with writing – and earning a living from both.
But it seems to me, that political activism along with a vehement objection to the price of lamb chops is difficult to balance next to a life steeped in the visual arts.
But I could be wrong….
Perhaps in the end, the freedom to make career choices in life is really what counts. One hundred years ago, it was not quite so easy as it is today, and that is what made Portia Swanston Geach an eyecatching woman of independence, influence and considerable importance.
JOHN BRACK
1920-1999
Melbourne in the 1950s
Visitors to the National Gallery of Victoria voted John Brack's Collins St, 5pm the most popular work in the entire collection, placing it ahead of Pissarro's Boulevard Montmartre and Max Dupain's Sunbaker photograph. Considered one of the most intellectual artists of his generation, Brack distilled literature, philosophy and art influences into uniquely-presented interpretations of Melbourne life in the post-war boom years.
Disillusioned, John Brack burns all his paintings at the age of 30.
Three years later in 1953 the National Gallery of Victoria purchases the first work of his urban and suburban series, The Barber Shop, and follows up with Collins St, 5pm in 1956. Brack's works from this period now sell for millions of dollars.
What makes Collins St, 5pm so popular?
Well, at a local level, familiarity with this Melbourne scene of workers streaming to a train or tram, or to the pub in the days when bars close at 6pm, is the obvious answer. This
Collins St, 5pm, John Brack, 1955, NGV
words Ian Hobbs
is an era of work dress conformity and nine-to-five, at-the-office workdays that concentrate peak hour more than today. Nevertheless, Collins St, 5pm still instantly engages, many viewers no doubt see themselves in the painting while others may well think they're above the crowd.
Brack's literary mind drills deeper though.
Drawing inspiration from TS Eliot's The Wasteland in which a deadened throng flows over London Bridge in meaningless routine following World War 1, he constructs 'arguably the only major existentialist icon to be painted in Australia' according to biographer Sasha Grishin. In other words, behind this particularity of place lies a universality of meaning relating to alienation, lack of agency and anxiety in modern society.
The effect of alienation and monotony emerges from the repetition of stonyfaced figures all going the same way, the drab colours and even the conformity of the building features. Yet, the foreground faces are portraits, providing individualisation, but not connection within the crowd, a strategy of contradiction the artist often uses as he explores the human condition. The painting's artistic ancestry bears a relationship to George Seurat's geometricallystructured compositions.
Workers in Collins St, 5pm commute from the rapidly developing suburbs. Replacing the mythical outback image, they are pioneers in the new frontier known as Suburbia, casting off post-war doldrums to embrace a modern era full of dreams for the future.
The New House exemplifies the Great Australian Dream of home ownership, but is there subtle irony in the ordered family alongside the spontaneity of a Van Gogh reproduction on the wall? Is the sparse, slightly out-ofdate décor suggesting hope is set within moderate limits, thrift being the constraint? Is domestic bliss sustainable? Multi-layered meaning pervades Brack's images.
Subdivision soon follows The New House. It also alludes to conformism and consumerism as well as to the pitfalls of poorly-designed housing without adequate infrastructure, a situation that architect Robin Boyd laments at the time and some years before Pete Seeger expresses similar sentiments in the catchy tune 'Little Boxes'.
Devoid of sport and smashed avo breakfasts, Sundays belong to the family in the 1950s.
Likely, it's church in the morning, then after a roast dinner Dad, Mum and the kids pile into the one and only car to take an afternoon drive into the countryside. Brack captures this ritual with precision and a hint of humour in The Car, while also contrasting the modern family and vehicle with the ancient landscape. As with other works, sun-thickened linseed oil is added to the paint to achieve the smooth surface.
By his own admission, Brack isn't into the picturesque.
Artist and critic Ronald Millar
notes he is "a deliberator, a distiller, a subtractor, rather than a pileron of visual goodies", so one who strips paintings down to their bare essentials, clinical, sceptical, continually probing reality. For all the probing beyond the facade though there seems compassion for the subjects' situation.
Brack knows all about stripping down to the bare essentials. Brought up in a working-class home without books or art prints, he wins a scholarship to Ivanhoe Grammar School in the Depression years of the early thirties but cannot accept it as his parents are unable to afford the uniform. Leaving school at 15, the teenager finds a clerical job and later attends the NGV School at night before spending six years of his twenties in Australiabased war service, much of it in reflection on "the human behaviour that leads to tension and conflict". Resuming art studies, he marries artist Helen Maudsley in 1948 and raises four daughters in developing North Balwyn and later Surrey Hills.
To make ends meet Brack needs to work. From assistant frame maker at the NGV he takes on art teaching at
Subdivision, John Brack, 1955, TarraWarra Museum of Art
Melbourne Grammar before assuming leadership of the NGV School where he advocates for it to become the Victorian College of the Arts. Full time painting finally materialises after leaving the NGV position when 48 years of age.
He remains in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, rather detached, not tempted by Europe (a holiday aside), bohemia or groups, beyond a brief affiliation with the figurative Antipodeans protesting against abstract expressionism in an exhibition at the Victorian Artists' Society in 1959.
Only making modest returns until late in life from a relatively small oeuvre, this humble man gains deep respect from fellow artists and students as articulate, generous and disciplined. You get the feeling that prices paid today for his works might well have been a source of embarrassment to one who valued commitment over reward. Add feeling insulted as well if investment motivated any purchase.
Although he created many other notable works, John Brack is overwhelmingly remembered for his original and thought-provoking take on Melbourne culture in the 1950s and into the 60s, a commentary that still echoes today.
Visit the NGV and prepare for contemplation rather than just observation!
The Car, John Brack, 1955, NGV
The New House, John Brack, 1953, Art Gallery of NSW
On 11 May 2023 VAS President Mark Bagally commenced a self-confessed ambitious project aiming to complete a 10” x 8” oil painting every day for a year. On May 10 2024 and 366 paintings later (2024 was a leap year), Mark completed the project.
All artworks are painted on 10” x 8” x 3mm MDF boards cut from second hand sheets and acquired from the Australian Guild of Realist Artists (AGRA) on the occasion of the closing down of their headquarters in Camberwell. One coat of PVA glue front and back and one coat of Gesso on the face later and Mark was ready to start painting.
He allowed himself one hour to complete each work on the understanding that if he missed a day he would end the project. To ensure adherence to the terms and conditions of his project Mark commenced each work with a quick oil sketch, a photograph of the sketch and a
second photo of the completed sketch thereby providing a time and date stamp for each work.
“I found it to be a real exercise in discipline, having to plan around various commitments, events, illnesses, and travel and sometimes having to paint early hours of the morning or late at night to get a painting done.
On a handful of occasions I did exceed the one hour time limit, but mostly I was under time and towards the end of the project I was completing paintings in and around 30 minutes.
I expended 18,435 minutes (307.25 hours) of actual painting time completing this project”
References:
Text extracted from “A Year in Paint” self-published book 2025
The Glory Remains, It Hao Pheh
words Bruce Baldey VAS
MPavilion 10 from St Kilda Road
While Yayoi Kusama has been breaking attendance records at the NGV, the work of a compatriot across the road has been keeping a distinctly lower profile. MPavilion 10 is the latest in a series of what are intended as temporary structures for curated events in Victoria Gardens. The architect is Tadao Ando, an eminent Japanese architect and the second Pritzker Prize winner to be awarded the project funded since 2014 by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Ando is famous for his minimalist designs: the interior of his Church of the Light in Osaka (1987) for example, features a cruciform opening which I fancy many a church designer wishes they had thought of first.
The other Pritzker Prize winner is our own Glenn Murcutt who designed MPavilion 6. Initially a designer of Miesian1 style pavilions he did a remarkable thing combining that style with the corrugated iron vernacular to produce a style and accoutrements widely imitated and copied by a generation of Australian architects.
The MPavilion brief calls for temporary sustainable structures that can be dismantled and relocated and repurposed on other sites. In most cases the pavilions have been relocated after 12 months². Murcutt’s pavilion is constructed from steel frames and other lightweight transportable components and has been relocated to the campus of University of Melbourne where it now sits comfortably in its new urban environment.
The two buildings reflect the very different national cultures i.e., Murcutt’s design is open, unenclosed and outward looking -
Church of the Light, Osaka, Japan
MPavilion 10, Victoria Gardens, Tadao Ando Architect
Ando’s enclosed and introspective.
Ando’s MPavilion10 is formed from poured concrete and one might wonder how it might be relocated and is all that concrete sustainable. His local representative architect Sean Godsell somewhat disingenuously remarked that the concrete used in the building was as ‘green’ as could be and if it were to be demolished the walls could be crushed to produce aggregate for more concrete. Concrete contributes about 8 per cent of all global emissions of CO2 and holds large amounts of embedded energy³.
However it seems that other events, principally the economy, have overtaken the issue of
relocation such that MPavilion10 has been offered by the Trust to the Melbourne City Council as a permanent feature in Victoria Gardens.
If the Council were to assume the ownership and the responsibility for security and maintenance then that would, in the end, be sustainable.
1. Relating to the classic glass pavilion style of German Architect Mies van der Rohe
2. VAS Magazine Jan-Mar 2023 Page 32 “Pathways: Art on the Move ”
3. The Age April 10 2025 Page 25 “Our Eiffel Tower moment”
Magney House, Moruya, NSW
Glenn Murcutt Architect 1983, Photography: Anthony Browell
MPavilion6 by G Murcutt: 2005 at Victoria Gardens
MPavilion6 relocated to University of Melbourne Parkville Campus
Book Review
by Sebastian Smee
words JD Park VAS
Paris in the Nineteenth century was a centre of revolutionary artistic thought, which spawned Realism, Symbolism and Impressionism. Coeval with this burst of creative thought was a century of violent political revolution. The complex history of Nineteenth century France climaxed in 1871 with the Franco-Prussian war, the siege of Paris and the ill-fated and brief Paris Commune.
We appreciate the aesthetic struggles of the leaders of these art movements such as Courbet, Manet, Monet and Degas, but may be less aware of the dramatic part many of these artists played in the political turmoil. Many fought on the front lines in the National Guard and some like the young Impressionist Frederic Bazille, Henri Regnault the star of the 1870 salon and the sculptor Joseph Cuvelier lost their lives. Others like Monet and Pissarro escaped to London where they avoided the disasters. Cezanne went into hiding near Marseille where he was suspected by the military police of being a conscientious objector.
In the book ‘Paris In Ruins’ (2024), the Pulitzer Prize winning author Sebastian Smee follows many of these artists and their families through active service and the privations of war. Smee details the narrative through the eyes of Manet and his acolyte Berthe Morisot. Berthe, arguably the greatest woman artist of her time, suffered life threatening challenges.
The Morisot family remained in Paris during the privations of the Prussian siege which was a fearful and challenging event. Many Parisians were reduced to eating rats, and most of the animals in the zoo were consumed including their much-loved pair of elephants. Paris was completely cut off and only communicated with the outside world by Gaspar Nadar’s newly invented ballons, which made regular but chancy flights under enemy fire.
Frightening and frightful though the siege was, the eventual conflict between the Communards and the Versailles Republicans saw civil atrocities far worse than the Prussian offensive. At the height of this civil war, Paris was in flames. How most of the artists and treasures of the
great art museums survived was miraculous. The Tuileries Palace was burnt to the ground and the Louvre only saved by a fortuitous rain storm.
Of some interest is the political affiliations of the various artists. Most were French patriots and many were Republicans, strongly opposed to the empire of Napoleon III. However, some Republicans like Manet flip-flopped in their allegiances. Perhaps not surprisingly, Courbet who was a revolutionary Realist in his art was also an active supporter of the revolutionary commune.
Smee supplies a coda which wraps up Berthe’s life. This includes the first Impressionist exhibition, her marriage to Manet’s brother and the blossoming of her mature style as a colourist of fleeting impressions achieved with a minimum of deft brush strokes.
The author provides a different perspective on the thought and drivers for many of the French artistic greats. Certainly, the wars were a significant hiatus in the artistic life of many. The book is also a solid slab of French chronology which some readers like myself might find fills in a few gaps in their knowledge of the several empires and republics!
Berthe Morisot Edouard Manet (1872)
From the VAS COLLECTION
words Bruce Baldey VAS
Artist: Ada May Plante (1875-1950)
Title: “Self Portrait”
Cat.# 68
Date: 1928
Donor: Mary Lindsay (Niece) 1991
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 29 x 23cm
Ada May Plante was born in Temuka on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand in 1875, the fifth of ten children. The family moved to Melbourne in 1890 where she completed her schooling at the Presbyterian Ladies College. Ada attended the National Gallery School under the tutelage of Bernard Hall and Fred McCubbin where she was a contemporary of Margaret Preston, Max Meldrum, AME Bale, and George Bell
Returning from studies in Europe (1902-1904) Ada exhibited at the 1905 VAS Winter exhibition and continued to exhibit here until 1916. She also exhibited at the First Australian Exhibition of Women’s Work in 1907 where she won prizes for her portrait and figure painting. She was one of the founding members of the Melbourne Contemporary Art Group and in 1932 took part in their inaugural exhibition .
Her work reflects the fascination of the group with Post
Impressionism and in particular Paul Cezanne (18391906).
In the mid-1930s Ada took a studio at the Darebin Bridge House on Heidleberg Road as part of an artists’ colony which included Jock Frater who lived nearby in Alphington.
Ada died in Melbourne on 3 July 1950 at the age of 74 survived by four of her nine siblings. A three week memorial exhibition was held at the Stanley Coe Gallery (1949-1957) in 435 Bourke Street, Melbourne in 1951. She was also included in the Melbourne Modernist Exhibition at the Victorian Artists Society in 1990 along with Jock Frater, Arnold Shore and Isabel Tweddle.
Ada’s work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the AGNSW, NGV, AGWA , the National Portrait Gallery Canberra, and several other regional galleries.
Ada Plante- one of our pioneer Moderns.
Shorty, Oil, 1945, Private Collection VIC
FRANK CHI STUDIO: THE ART WITHIN
12-23 March 2025
Hammond, McCubbin & Frater Galleries
Farm, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
Early Spring, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
Farm II, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
This is Frank Chi’s second solo Exhibition at the VAS: his landscape Village, Yarra Valley featuring on the cover of the June 2023 issue of the VAS Magazine.
Frank is a Chinese-Australian oil painting artist born in 1954 in Heilongjiang Province, China.
Frank developed a passion for painting at a young age and received formal training in oil painting at the Art Department of Qiqihar Education College. He is a successor disciple of Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010), a famous contemporary Chinese painter widely recognized as a founder of modern Chinese painting.
This exhibition includes 66 paintings, including landscapes, still lifes, and portraits.
Frank Chi draws inspiration from
various artistic styles and has cultivated his own distinctive approach to landscape and portrait painting.
“Most landscape artists always hope to encounter a picture-perfect scenery, and I also share that sentiment... However, scenery itself should not be the focus of landscape artists. In essence, what to paint is not important; what truly matters is how to paint and the artistic language you use to describe the captivating aspects you want to convey. Of course, landscape artists should possess boundless passion and sentiment towards nature while continually improving their artistic skills and cultivating their artistic sensibilities”.1
Frank is an outstanding colourist. His vibrant greens and blues attract immediate attention and then, on being drawn closer, his broad
brushstrokes and thick textured paintwork. The more subdued “Self Portrait” cleverly uses colour to define the shape and contours of the face in the absence of significant highlights.
Frank’s statuesque nudes (Relaxing, Smile 2), this time around with more than a touch of Art Deco, are well represented in the exhibition.
Frank Chi’s exhibition presents us again with a coherent body of work showcasing his wonderful skills across a variety of genres.
Reference:
1 Excerpt from on-line Exhibition Invitation
Relaxing, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
Self Portrait, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
Smile 2, Frank Chi, oil on canvas
Victorian Artists Society
ANNUAL PLEIN AIR TRIP
Apollo Bay, 22nd - 25th May 2025
Day 1
Biddles Beach
Day 2
Marriner's Lookout and Barham Paradise Scenic Reserve
Day 3
Eyrie at Skenes Creek
Day 4
Eagle Rock Lookout
CROSS WORD
Across
1. Museum of old and new art in Hobart (4)
3. Yellow spring flowers painted by Berthe Morisot, like jonquils (9)
8. Dutch painter, 1606-1669, one of the best artists of all time (9)
10. Leonardo da …… (5)
11. Prize, as in the artist won the …. for pastels (5)
14. Muted, slightly-aged shade of pink is …. pink (5)
15. Thin sheets of say plastic with holes cut out in a pattern for painting patterns (8)
17. Famous Russian painter, 1866-1944, pioneer of abstraction (9)
20. William ….., 1889-1970, three-time Archibald winner (6)
21. Melbourne-based artist, … Winspear (3)
22. Vermeer's "Girl with a pearl ….." (7)
25. English Australian painter, ….. Carrick, 1872-1952 (5)
27. Sculptors mould this earthy material (4)
28. Ball point pen (4)
30. Three-legged stands for easels (7)
34. Irish playwright who wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray (init) (2)
35. You paint with these (7)
36. Tool for applying or mixing paint, a palette knife (plural) (8)
Down
1. Sydney still life and interior painter, …… Olley, 1923-2011 (8)
2. First Nation artist, ….. Namatjira, 1902-1959 (6)
3. Sketch (4)
4. More than Rubenesque, plump (3)
5. Michelangelo's Statue of …… is in Florence (5)
6. Famous painting family from Creswick, includes Norman and Daryl (plural) (8)
7. An urban landscape might be called a ….scape (4)
9. Spanish surrealist, Salvador …., 1904-1989 (4)
12. Sydney's Julian …… Art School (6)
13. Tin of pencils named after a body of water in England's Lake District (7)
16. Australian artist ….. French, 1928-2017 (abbrev) (3)
17. Swiss-German painter, Paul …., 1879-1940 (4)
18. Opposite of light in colour (4)
19. A primary colour (6)
20. Agents who buy and sell art works (7)
23. The Toulouse-Lautrec Museum is in this French town (4)
24. The pointed or sharp ends of pens (4)
25. Mona Lisa's …. seem to follow you (4)
26. Jackson Pollock lived in New York's famous Chelsea …. for a time (5)
29. Caravaggio painted mostly in this city (Italian spelling) (4)
31. Australian artist, Ruth Sutherland, 1884-1948 (init) (2)
32. Imagery from popular culture and mass media is known as what art? (3)
33. Traditional Aboriginal art may be called … painting (3)
QUIZ
1
Derived from the Latin word meaning “Indian,” what is the name of the blue dye originally exported to Europe from India?
2
3
4
5
How many (internal) angles are there in an oblong shape?
What are the two colours of the Mastercard logo?
What colour is opposite red on the colour wheel?
What is a water based paint made by mixing egg yolk with pigments and distilled water?
6 What type of Australian businesses are Bonhams, and Deutscher and Hackett?
7
Which of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was not entirely human-made?
8 Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (1887-1965), known generally as Le Corbusier, was a famous Swiss painter, architect or sculptor?
9
What is the name of the Gallery that houses the Australian part of the art collection of the NGV?
10
11
12
The Courtauld Gallery is in which English city?
The VAS celebrated its 150th anniversary in what year?
What Johannes Vermeer painting was the name of a 2023 film starring Scarlett Johansson?
13
14
How many Tate Galleries are there in England?
The name of which celebrated former president of the VAS is given to the VAS Drawing Exhibition (September 2025)?
15 In which country did the Art Movement known as Constructivism originate?
16 Where in Australia did Aboriginal dot painting originate?
17
18
The Frick Collection is a famous Gallery in which American city?
Hammond and Frater are names of two Galleries on the first floor of the VAS. What is the name of the other?
19
What is the name of the award for the winning entry in the annual VAS Maritime Exhibition?
20
What word refers both to a reddishbrown pigment and a type of cuttlefish?
21
Which print technique was used to create Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”? Answers on Page 38
Mrs Smith’s Trivia & the GBH Last Supper, Lucy Fekete
1. Indigo
2. Four
Answers
QUIZ CROSSWORD
3. Red, orange
4. Green
5. Egg Tempera
6. Fine Art Auctioneers
7. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
8. Architect
9. Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
10. London (Somerset House,Strand. website@courtauld.ac.uk))
11. 2020
12. Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665)
13. Four (Tate Britain/Modern/Liverpool/ St Ives)
14. Edward Heffernan
15. USSR (early 20th century)
16. Papunya, Central Australia
17. New York (frick.org)
18. McCubbin Gallery
19. Thomas Somerscales Trophy
20. Sepia
21. Woodblock print (Ukiyo-e)
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai, 1831
Last Year's Man and Dog, Julian Bruere VAS FVAS, (cropped)
Quinces with Enamelware Jug, TJ Murphy, (cropped)
Mzee, Marketa Kemp, Charcoal on Paper, (cropped)
OUR SUPPORTERS
Eileen Mackley AM VAS FVAS & Hylton Mackley AM (HON) FVAS
The late Gordon Moffatt AM Noel Waite AO & The Waite Family
