Australian Women Artists
Australian women artists have been (and continue to be) underrepresented and undervalued in this country despite the stunning artistic works that have been produced since the mid nineteenth century.
This podcast will shine a light on those artists and their spectacular art works. I'll be talking to the artists themselves, both established and emerging, as well as experts on Australian women artists in history.
Australian Women Artists
Emily George on Jane Sutherland
Australian Women Artists
The podcast
(I'm afraid the recording starts with a bit of an echo off the gallery walls - but it does settle.)
Episode 13 Emily George on Jane Sutherland
Jane Sutherland (1853–1928) was a pioneering Australian landscape painter and a key figure in the plein-air movement and the Heidelberg School.
She defied Victorian-era gender expectations by pursuing a professional art career, encouraged by her father. She became an instrumental figure in the Heidelberg School despite having to leave the camps as women weren't allowed to stay. So she'd pack everything up every afternoon and head home.
Her male contemporaries (McCubbin, Tom Roberts, Charles Conder) would paint what was considered heroic bush narratives. Jane Sutherland captured beautifully intimate scenes of rural Australian life often capturing women and children and putting them front and centre which was unusual for the time.
It's been said that these quieter scenes challenged the male-dominated nationalistic art of the time. Her works often contained deeper commentary on societal constraints. This perspective was one of the reasons she was a trailblazer.
She faced the dual barriers of gender discrimination and later physical disability, yet maintained her artistic vision throughout.
To discuss Jane Sutherland I was fortunate enough to be talking to Emily George. Emily is an arts professional with experience working as a gallery assistant, art advisor and client liaison. She holds a double Bachelor of Arts majoring in Art History and Film Studies from Sydney University with a focus on women artists and feminist history, and continued her studies achieving a Master of Art Curating from Sydney University shortly after. She has worked at Arthouse Gallery for the past four years.
Images of some of the works we discussed:
- Obstruction, Box Hill, 1887 oil on canvas, 41.3x31.1cm
- The mushroom gatherers 1895 oil on canvas 41.8x99.3
- The mushroom gatherers (detail)
- Little Gossips, 1888, oil on canvas, 48.5 x 36.0
- After autumn rains, 1893, oil on canvas 61x112
- Field naturalists, 1896 ol on canvas 80.9x121.3