Art, Love & Life is a beautiful new exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery, showcasing the work of one of the art world’s best loved couples: Ethel Carrick and E Phillip Fox.
This is the first exhibition that puts the couple’s work together and it’s very impressive. Lovers of late 19th and early 20th century art will marvel at the placement of en plein air works by both artists, clearly painted of the same scene at the same time. Seeing their work together let’s you really appreciate the differences in their techniques as well as the similarities in style and form.
E Phillips Fox was a Melbourne artist who was born in 1865 and moved to Europe in 1887. He studied under some of the greatest teachers and started his own art studio in Melbourne, before meeting Ethel Carrick, an English artist, at an artist’s colony in St Ives, Cornwall, in 1901.
Phillips Fox and Carrick were married in 1905 and lived an incredibly cosmopolitan lifestyle. They were based in a studio apartment in Paris but were constantly moving: travelling to Italy, Morocco, Spain, throughout France and back to Australia.
E Phillips Fox
Australia / France 1865-1915
Green Wave, Manly c.1914
Oil on canvas
46.2 x 61.3cm
Herbert and Ivy Brookes Bequest, 1973
Collection: National Gallery of Victoria,MelbourneThe couple were back in Australia when the First World War broke out and E Phillips Fox died in Melbourne in 1915 of cancer. Ethel Carrick tirelessly promoted his work for the rest of her life, stating that her work was “nothing compared to his”. Fortunately for all of us who disagree and think her just as important an artist, she did keep painting after her husband’s death.
Ethel Carrick Fox
England / Australia 1872 – 1952
Manly Beach – summer is here 1913
Oil on canvas
81 x 100cm
Gift of the artist, 1934
Collection: Manly Art Gallery and Museum,
SydneyArt, Love & Life is a gentle and beautiful exhibition. Phillips Fox excelled at capturing fleeting impressions of light and atmosphere while Carrick is famous for her outdoor crowd scenes, especially those featuring markets and beaches.
Many of the artworks in this exhibition come from private collections and are being shown publically for the first time. This may be the only chance you get to see these two important artists exhibited together and with so many examples of their work.
Tip: Have a look at the portraits of Brisbane artist Edith Anderson. She was one of Phillips Fox’s favourite models (that’s her in the main image with the nasturtiums) but it’s Carrick’s portrait of her that really captured my attention. While Phillips Fox captures a feminine mood and gentle serenity in his paintings, Carrick paints something much more honest and revealing.
Make sure you also have a close look at the two versions of The Bathing Hour by Phillips Fox. It’s incredible to see the difference the light makes in these two studies of the same subjects.
E Phillips Fox
Australia / France 1865-1915
(Bathing hour) (L'heure du bain) c.1909
Oil on canvas
183.5 x 113.5cm
Purchased 1946
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery, BrisbaneArt, Love & Life is on at the Queensland Art Gallery until 7 August, 2011.
Ticket prices:
Adult: $12
Conc: $10
Secondary students: $6
Children (12 years and under) FREE
Family discounts and season passes also available.
