Grace Cossington Smith - National Gallery of Australia
Grace Cossington Smith - National Gallery of Australia
Grace Cossington Smith - National Gallery of Australia
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION<br />
This exhibition has been curated by<br />
Deborah Hart, Senior Curator,<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>n Paintings and Sculpture<br />
at the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>.<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
Booking details<br />
Entry $12<br />
Members and concessions $8<br />
Entry for booked school groups and students under 16 is free<br />
Online teachers’ resources<br />
Visit nga.gov.au to download study sheets that can be used with on-line images –<br />
key works have been selected and are accompanied by additional text.<br />
Other resources available<br />
The catalogue to the exhibition: <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
(a 10% discount is <strong>of</strong>fered for schools’ purchases)<br />
Available from the NGA shop. Phone 1800 808 337 (free call)<br />
or 02 6240 6420, email trade@nga.gov.au,<br />
or shop online at ngashop.com.au<br />
Audio tour<br />
Free children’s trail<br />
Postcards, cards, bookmarks and posters<br />
Venues and dates<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra 4 March – 13 June 2005<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> South <strong>Australia</strong>, Adelaide 29 July – 9 October 2005<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> New South Wales, Sydney 29 October 2005 – 15 January 2006<br />
Queensland Art <strong>Gallery</strong>, Brisbane 11 February – 30 April 2006<br />
nga.gov.au/<strong>Cossington</strong><strong>Smith</strong><br />
The <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> is an <strong>Australia</strong>n Government Agency
GRACE COSSINGTON SMITH EDUCATION RESOURCE<br />
Teachers’ notes<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> (1892–1984) is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>’s most important artists; a brilliant colourist, she was<br />
one <strong>of</strong> this country’s first Post-Impressionsts. She is renowned for her iconic urban images and radiant interiors.<br />
Although <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was keenly attentive to the modern urban environment, she also brought a<br />
deeply personal, intimate response to the subjects <strong>of</strong> her art. Among the recurring themes are the metropolis<br />
and Sydney Harbour Bridge, portraits, still lifes, landscapes, religious and war subjects, theatre and ballet<br />
performances, and domestic interiors infused with light.<br />
Students studying <strong>Australia</strong>n Art History will be interested in this artist’s role in introducing concepts <strong>of</strong><br />
modernism to <strong>Australia</strong>. <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> demonstrated a more open, experimental and personally resolved<br />
style than many <strong>of</strong> her male contemporaries and she produced works <strong>of</strong> art that challenged convention and<br />
opened new pathways to modernism. <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> lived a quiet life, surrounded by female friends and<br />
relatives, but in no way did she see herself as anything other than a pr<strong>of</strong>essional artist whose vision was original<br />
and integrity absolute.<br />
This resource contains:<br />
• teachers’ notes<br />
• a biographical timeline on the artist<br />
• 14 cards with full-colour images <strong>of</strong> works from the exhibition and contextual information<br />
and visual analysis <strong>of</strong> each image<br />
• a series <strong>of</strong> discussion points.<br />
Suggested strategy for use <strong>of</strong> the resource:<br />
Distribute the cards to students, in groups or individually<br />
Students read the information on the back and prepare answers to the discussion points<br />
Students deliver their prepared answers to the class and read out the visual analysis provided<br />
Suggested reading<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, exhibition catalogue, Canberra: <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, 2005.<br />
Jane Hylton, Modern <strong>Australia</strong>n women: paintings and prints 1925–1945, Adelaide: Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> South<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>, 2000.<br />
Bruce James, <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, Roseville, New South Wales: Craftsman House, 1990.<br />
Daniel Thomas, <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>: a life from drawings in the collection <strong>of</strong> the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra: <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, 1993.<br />
For further information visit the <strong>Gallery</strong>’s website: nga.gov.au/<strong>Cossington</strong><strong>Smith</strong>/<br />
Sources for the information in this education resource: <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, exhibition catalogue,<br />
Canberra: <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, 2005; Bruce James, <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, Roseville, New South<br />
Wales: Craftsman House, 1990; <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, interviews with Alan Roberts at <strong>Cossington</strong>, Sydney,<br />
9 January 1970, 29 January 1970, 9 February 1970 and 28 April 1970; and <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, interview<br />
with Hazel De Berg, 16 August 1965, <strong>National</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>.
GRACE COSSINGTON SMITH BIOGRAPHICAL TIMELINE<br />
1890 Ernest Augustus <strong>Smith</strong> marries <strong>Grace</strong> Fisher<br />
1891–97 The births <strong>of</strong> Mabel (1891), <strong>Grace</strong> (1892), Margaret (Madge, 1896), and twins Gordon and<br />
Charlotte (Diddy, 1897)<br />
1910 At the age <strong>of</strong> 18 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> begins drawing classes at Anthony Dattilo Rubbo’s atelier<br />
in Sydney<br />
1912–14 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, her father and sister Mabel travel to England; <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> attends art<br />
classes at Winchester Art School<br />
1914 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> returns to Sydney and begins painting in oils at Dattilo Rubbo’s atelier<br />
1915 The sock knitter is painted and exhibited at an exhibition held by the Royal Art Society <strong>of</strong> New South Wales<br />
1916 Study <strong>of</strong> a head: self portrait is painted<br />
1920 The <strong>Smith</strong>s buy a property in Turrumurra and name it <strong>Cossington</strong>; a studio for <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> is<br />
built in the garden<br />
1922 Portrait <strong>of</strong> Diddy drawn around this time<br />
1925 Centre <strong>of</strong> a city (a work in which the tonal influence <strong>of</strong> Max Meldrum can be seen) painted<br />
around this time<br />
1926 A return to bright colour can be noted in <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s works; she makes a break with her<br />
teacher, Dattilo Rubbo; becomes interested in theosophy and the symbolic importance <strong>of</strong> colour;<br />
Eastern Road, Turrumurra is painted around this time; <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> exhibits for the first time with<br />
the Contemporary Group<br />
1927 Lily growing in a field by the sea painted around this time<br />
1928 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> holds her first solo exhibition at Walter Taylor’s Grosvenor Galleries<br />
1929 Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees, waterfall, picnic in a gully is painted<br />
1930 Bridge in-curve is painted around this time<br />
1931 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s mother, <strong>Grace</strong>, dies; <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> paints Poinsettias and Hippeastrums<br />
growing<br />
1932 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> holds her first solo exhibition at the Macquarie Galleries (this gallery would<br />
become her main exhibiting venue)<br />
1935–36 The Lacquer Room is painted<br />
1938 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s father, Ernest, dies and <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> moves her studio into the main house;<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> undertakes many painting trips into the countryside with fellow artists Helen Stewart,<br />
Enid Cambridge and Treania <strong>Smith</strong><br />
1940 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> volunteers as an air-raid warden at Turramurra<br />
1941–42 Church Interior is painted<br />
1944 Dawn landing is painted<br />
1947 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> elected to full membership <strong>of</strong> the Society <strong>of</strong> Artists, Sydney<br />
1948 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> sails for England with her sisters Madge and Diddy (Madge remained in England<br />
permanently); during the trip, <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> draws Top deck, the Arawa, Shaw Saville Line<br />
1949 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> travels to Italy and then back to England<br />
1951 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> returns to Sydney<br />
1954 The first <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s large interiors, Interior with verandah doors, is painted<br />
1962 Diddy dies; <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> begins painting Interior in yellow before breaking her hip, which is<br />
followed by a long convalescence (subsequently, Interior in yellow was not completed until 1964)<br />
1973 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> is awarded an Order <strong>of</strong> the British Empire for services to art in the New Year’s<br />
Honours List; a retrospective exhibition <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s work, organised by the Art <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> New South Wales, is held and tours major capital cities<br />
1978 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> moves from <strong>Cossington</strong> to Dalcross Hospital and then to the Milton Nursing Home,<br />
Roseville<br />
1983 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> awarded the Order <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong><br />
1984 <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> dies, 20 December, at the age <strong>of</strong> 92
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Study <strong>of</strong> a head: self portrait 1916
PORTRAITS<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Study <strong>of</strong> a head: self portrait 1916<br />
oil on canvas on board<br />
The Holmes à Court Collection,<br />
Heytesbury Pty Ltd, Perth<br />
The portraits by <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> are intimate, descriptive and perceptive. She was not<br />
interested in producing large, formally posed portraits. Members <strong>of</strong> her family sitting and reading,<br />
friends, and children <strong>of</strong> friends were the subjects <strong>of</strong> her gentle, intuitive portraits. Many studies <strong>of</strong> her<br />
family lounging in cane armchairs fi ll her sketchbooks; she delighted in the interplay between the<br />
lineal structure <strong>of</strong> the chair and the s<strong>of</strong>t silhouette <strong>of</strong> the body.<br />
Painted as an art student in her early twenties, Study <strong>of</strong> a head: self portrait 1916 suggests the<br />
young artist’s vitality and determination, along with her love <strong>of</strong> colour and structure. <strong>Cossington</strong><br />
<strong>Smith</strong>’s sensuous use <strong>of</strong> vibrant blues, greens and rosy pinks, along with the dramatic passages <strong>of</strong><br />
light and dark anticipate her later work. Her characteristic style, with fan-like brushstrokes, had not<br />
developed at this early stage <strong>of</strong> her career; instead she uses bright dabs <strong>of</strong> colour, demonstrating<br />
her awareness <strong>of</strong> British and European Post-Impressionism gleaned primarily from her classes with<br />
Anthony Dattilo Rubbo at his atelier in Rowe Street, Sydney.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
Note the use <strong>of</strong> parallel diagonals to animate the composition. The collar, jaw line, nose and<br />
parting in her hair form diagonals that counterpoint the strong compositional line from bottom left<br />
to top right. Her dark hair is balanced by the dark, bottom right-hand corner. The artist separates<br />
the cheek from the background with a bright edge <strong>of</strong> light paint.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•What characteristics <strong>of</strong> Post-Impressionism are evident in this portrait?<br />
•What does this portrait convey about the artist?
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Portrait <strong>of</strong> Diddy c. 1922
FAMILY<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Portrait <strong>of</strong> Diddy c. 1922<br />
pastel, charcoal and pencil on paper<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Purchased 1974<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was the second <strong>of</strong> fi ve children – she had three sisters and a brother.<br />
Her mother, also named <strong>Grace</strong>, was a cultured woman with a love <strong>of</strong> music and languages; her<br />
father, Ernest, was appointed Crown Solicitor <strong>of</strong> New South Wales in 1890 and later established his<br />
own fi rm. Theirs was a close, supportive family. The family liked nicknames: Margaret was known as<br />
Madge and Charlotte as Diddy.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> was the name <strong>of</strong> the ancestral home <strong>of</strong> the artist’s mother in Great Britain, and it was<br />
the name given to the house where <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was born on 22 April 1892, in Neutral Bay<br />
in Sydney, and later to the family home in Turramurra. <strong>Cossington</strong> was also the name the artist<br />
adopted in the 1920s, when she began signing her work as <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s ability to draw was recognised while she was at school. The Head Mistress <strong>of</strong><br />
Abbotsleigh, who encouraged <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s art education, gave her a gift <strong>of</strong> four art books<br />
on her graduation from school. Her parents took it for granted that their second daughter would<br />
study art and that she would become a pr<strong>of</strong>essional artist, not just a genteel amateur painter.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> began drawing classes with Anthony Dattilo Rubbo in 1910, at the age <strong>of</strong> 18.<br />
During her fi rst year <strong>of</strong> tuition <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> began the practice <strong>of</strong> drawing in sketchbooks. A<br />
sketchpad, pencils, crayons and pastels are easily transported and are non-intrusive, enabling the<br />
artist to sit and draw within the intimacy <strong>of</strong> the family circle. The <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> owns<br />
52 <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s sketchbooks, dating from 1910 to the 1950s. The artist made drawings for a<br />
variety <strong>of</strong> purposes: as fi nished works <strong>of</strong> art, as sketches for later paintings, as investigations <strong>of</strong> form<br />
and composition, as travel documentation and as intimate records <strong>of</strong> family life.<br />
Diddy was a favourite subject to draw, as she could maintain a pose while deeply absorbed in a<br />
book. She had a close bond with <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> and was also interested in art, having studied<br />
woodcarving with Eirene Mort. Diddy worked as a nurse at the Parramatta Hospital and in later life<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> spent many years nursing her at home after she suffered a stroke.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
In Portrait <strong>of</strong> Diddy <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> concentrates the viewer’s attention on the face by framing it<br />
between the two parallel horizontal lines <strong>of</strong> the hat and the lower edge <strong>of</strong> the collar. The diagonals<br />
<strong>of</strong> the collar lead the eye to Diddy’s pensive, downcast face. Even at this early date it is possible<br />
to see how <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> challenged accepted drawing practice by using a repeated vertical<br />
stroke that defi nes the form with colour, rather than by following the contours <strong>of</strong> the object. This<br />
device can be seen much later in the painting Interior in yellow 1962, 1964.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•Describe <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s family and the artist’s place in it.<br />
•Discuss the different roles drawing took in the work <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The sock knitter 1915
WAR<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The sock knitter 1915<br />
oil on canvas<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> New South Wales, Sydney © AGNSW<br />
Photographed by Jenni Carter for AGNSW<br />
Although World War I took place on the other side <strong>of</strong> the world, it had a huge infl uence upon<br />
the <strong>Smith</strong> family. Both parents were born in England and many <strong>of</strong> their relatives remained there.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s brother, Gordon, joined the British Army in 1916 after one term studying at Oxford<br />
and <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> worked regularly at the War Chest Flower Shop in Pitt Street, to help raise<br />
funds for the soldiers. It was here that she <strong>of</strong>ten met Mary Cunningham, whom she later visited at<br />
Lanyon, a property near Canberra. Cunningham was an impassioned defender <strong>of</strong> conscription<br />
and <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> supported her position during two referenda on the subject.<br />
The sock knitter in this work is <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s younger sister Madge, seated in the garden<br />
studio <strong>of</strong> the family home at Turramurra. As well as being an intimate portrait <strong>of</strong> a family member it<br />
represents the type <strong>of</strong> work many women undertook during World War I: knitting socks for <strong>Australia</strong>n<br />
soldiers fi ghting overseas.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> painted this portrait in 1915, while still a student at art school. It demonstrates her<br />
interest in Post-Impressionism, which was largely new in <strong>Australia</strong>n art at the time. The sock knitter<br />
may have been inspired by reproductions <strong>of</strong> Cézanne’s paintings that were on display at Anthony<br />
Dattilo Rubbo’s atelier, where <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> took art classes. There is also some similarity to works<br />
by the British artists <strong>of</strong> the Camden Town Group, such as Harold Gilman and Charles Ginner, whose<br />
works she may have seen when in Europe between 1912 and 1914.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The central fi gure is placed vertically in the composition. An oblique patch <strong>of</strong> dark blue in the top<br />
right connects the fi gure to the background and visually fl attens the composition. The two sections<br />
<strong>of</strong> pale, patterned fabric on either side <strong>of</strong> the fi gure also help to fl atten the space. The focal point<br />
<strong>of</strong> the painting is the face <strong>of</strong> Madge, looking down at her hands. Horizontal lines <strong>of</strong> background<br />
fabric, diagonal lines <strong>of</strong> shoulders and lower arms, and even the diagonals <strong>of</strong> her collar direct the<br />
viewer to this part <strong>of</strong> the painting.<br />
Large areas <strong>of</strong> fl at colour, painted thickly, demonstrate that at this early stage <strong>of</strong> her career the<br />
artist had not yet developed her own idiosyncratic paint handling style – the small, mosaic-like<br />
brushstrokes that are central to her later work.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•Describe the artist’s feelings about conscription and the contribution <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>n women to<br />
the war effort.<br />
•Discuss how the artist has visually ‘fl attened’ the image.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Dawn landing 1944
WAR<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Dawn landing 1944<br />
oil on pulpboard<br />
Sir James and Lady Cruthers Collection, Perth<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> lived through two world wars. Although known as an artist <strong>of</strong> domestic<br />
interiors, still lifes, and portraits <strong>of</strong> family and friends, she was also interested in political and social<br />
issues. She painted royal visits, the building <strong>of</strong> the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the D-day invasion <strong>of</strong><br />
Normandy and a victory thanksgiving service in the parish church. In 1939, at the outbreak <strong>of</strong> World<br />
War II, the artist was 47 years old. She volunteered for war work as an air-raid warden for her street in<br />
Turramurra and created several major paintings on the theme <strong>of</strong> war at this time. These works stand<br />
apart from the responses <strong>of</strong> other <strong>Australia</strong>n artists, as they convey her strongly patriotic support for<br />
the war and the empathy she felt for the sacrifi ce <strong>of</strong> young men for this gallant cause.<br />
Inspired by the D-day landing in France in June 1944, Dawn landing depicts a column <strong>of</strong> soldiers<br />
disembarking from a landing craft. There is no death and carnage, just a column <strong>of</strong> young men<br />
walking forward with their heads bent. It is most likely that <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> used newspaper<br />
photographs published in the Sydney Morning Herald on the day that the attack was reported<br />
as the basis for this painting. She combines elements from two photographs and is therefore not<br />
interested in creating an accurate historical reconstruction <strong>of</strong> this event; rather she emphasises<br />
the individual’s sacrifi ce as the ultimate act <strong>of</strong> civic duty and patriotism. She later stated that she<br />
was particularly interested in D-day because her nephew Bill Pakenham-Walsh took part. He was<br />
probably the inspiration for the closest fi gure, with his golden colouring, and downcast, cherubic<br />
face.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The ominous yawning hull <strong>of</strong> the troop carrier, with its doors enclosing a distant tank, is the focal<br />
point <strong>of</strong> this painting. Behind this vessel, stretching into the distance are massed hundreds <strong>of</strong> vessels<br />
that create a mosaic-like pattern <strong>of</strong> browns and purples. The diagonal stream <strong>of</strong> soldiers, mainly<br />
faceless and unarmed, wade forwards through the water. They are painted in glowing colours <strong>of</strong><br />
brown and gold. The water is broken up into patches <strong>of</strong> vertical brushstrokes in a variety <strong>of</strong> warm<br />
shades. The cropped composition may indicate the photographic source <strong>of</strong> this image.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•How does this painting reveal the artist’s values and attitudes towards <strong>Australia</strong>n participation in<br />
World War II?
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Centre <strong>of</strong> a city c. 1925
CITY LIFE<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Centre <strong>of</strong> a city c. 1925<br />
oil on canvas on hardboard<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> New South Wales, Sydney © AGNSW<br />
Photographed by Jenni Carter for AGNSW<br />
By the beginning <strong>of</strong> 1924 <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was fi nding herself isolated in Turramurra,<br />
estranged from the city. Her brother, Gordon, was studying at Oxford, Diddy was <strong>of</strong>ten away from<br />
home nursing and Madge had left <strong>Australia</strong> for the fi rst time to visit England. At the age <strong>of</strong> 30 she<br />
was certain <strong>of</strong> her identity as an artist but felt isolated from the world at large.<br />
Centre <strong>of</strong> a city was painted around 1925. It is an affi rmation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s status as an<br />
artist. Technical assurance and compositional clarity convey the sombre essence <strong>of</strong> modern city life<br />
where humans, like black ants, are dominated by featureless windows within towering, geometric<br />
buildings. This is a ground-breaking work for <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, as it is the fi rst painting to display the<br />
sky as a radiant aureole. The chopped brushstrokes and colour gradations sweeping above the<br />
hard-edged golden buildings suggest that there is more to life than the everyday 10 o’clock bustle<br />
<strong>of</strong> Martin Place in Sydney.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
A sketchbook reveals at least 10 preparatory pencil studies for this<br />
painting, which the artist only began when she felt assured <strong>of</strong> its<br />
perspective accuracy and tonal resolution. The vanishing point is<br />
related to the eye level <strong>of</strong> the artist and is therefore found above<br />
the centre <strong>of</strong> the right-hand pavement, at the point where the<br />
dark wedge <strong>of</strong> shadow overlaps the most distant building. All <strong>of</strong> the<br />
diagonal lines lead to this point. The little white rectangle above this<br />
point also attracts the eye to this part <strong>of</strong> the painting. The foreground<br />
is in deep shadow and is populated by a cart with horses, which<br />
visually connects with the rectangle <strong>of</strong> the far building. The artist<br />
emphasises the illusion <strong>of</strong> distance by sweeping the wide road down<br />
and up and reducing the size <strong>of</strong> the fi gures.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•How does <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> reveal her attitude to the city in<br />
this painting?<br />
Study for Centre <strong>of</strong> a city c. 1925<br />
pencil on paper sketchbook 10<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>,<br />
Canberra Purchased 1976<br />
•Photocopy the image and outline all <strong>of</strong> the perspectival/diagonal<br />
lines. See if you can fi nd the vanishing point.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The Bridge in-curve c. 1930
CITY LIFE<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The Bridge in-curve c. 1930<br />
tempera on cardboard<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> Victoria, Melbourne<br />
Presented by the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> Victoria 1967<br />
The years from 1926 until the late 1930s were amongst the most important in <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong><br />
<strong>Smith</strong>’s artistic life. From the mid 1920s her paintings became more colourful, with the paint being<br />
applied in many small, separate strokes. These juxtaposed touches <strong>of</strong> paint, <strong>of</strong>ten in concentric<br />
radiating patterns, give paintings from this period a brilliant vitality.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> became interested in colour theory after reading a book by Beatrice Irwin, called<br />
New science <strong>of</strong> colour. The theory outlined in this book investigates the physical, mental and<br />
spiritual nature <strong>of</strong> colour, concluding that experiencing colour has the power to transform our state<br />
<strong>of</strong> mind. Roland Wakelin and Roy De Maistre, artist friends <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s, also had an interest<br />
in the emotional and spiritual effect colour has upon the viewer.<br />
The Bridge in-curve, painted around 1930, demonstrates <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s understanding <strong>of</strong> Irwin’s<br />
colour theory. The radiating aura <strong>of</strong> blue and white in the sky almost tingles with spiritual power.<br />
The earth-bound colours <strong>of</strong> the buildings and bushes are painted more analytically but with an<br />
emphasis on emotional rather than descriptive effect.<br />
Based on a number <strong>of</strong> drawings made from Milsons Point on the<br />
North Shore, this painting is more than an exercise in line, form and<br />
pattern. The construction <strong>of</strong> the Sydney Harbour Bridge began in<br />
1923 and continued until its opening in March 1932. The new Bridge<br />
was a symbol <strong>of</strong> hope, unifi cation and progress at a time <strong>of</strong> fi nancial<br />
depression. It was the most exciting and daring feat <strong>of</strong> engineering<br />
taking place in Sydney at the time.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The Bridge in-curve, with its sweeping curves, auras <strong>of</strong> radiating lines,<br />
and repeated rhythmic patterns <strong>of</strong> girders and cables conveys an<br />
uplifting sense <strong>of</strong> wonder at the magnifi cence <strong>of</strong> this structure.<br />
Working drawing for The Bridge<br />
in-curve 1930 pencil and<br />
coloured pencil <strong>National</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Purchased 1976<br />
The horizontal collection <strong>of</strong> bushes in the foreground creates a fi rm base for a composition that<br />
becomes more dynamic, angular and ethereal as the eye travels to the focal point <strong>of</strong> the gap<br />
between the two arches. Diagonal cables and the suspended arch on the left also direct the eye<br />
to this point. The vertical lines <strong>of</strong> the power poles on the right complete the circular movement,<br />
grounding the viewer amongst the blue-green foliage <strong>of</strong> the foreground.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•This is more than a descriptive view <strong>of</strong> the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Discuss how <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
endeavors to add symbolic meaning to this image.<br />
•Discuss the application <strong>of</strong> Irwin’s New science <strong>of</strong> colour in this painting.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The Lacquer Room 1935–36
CITY LIFE<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
The Lacquer Room 1935–36<br />
oil on paperboard on plywood<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> New South Wales, Sydney © AGNSW<br />
Photographed by Christopher Snee for AGNSW<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> has <strong>of</strong>ten been associated with the introduction <strong>of</strong> modernism to<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>n art. Characteristics <strong>of</strong> modernism include simplifi ed compositions, decorative fl atness,<br />
clearly outlined shapes, emphasis on colour and rhythmic elements, and a reduction <strong>of</strong> forms to<br />
their essentials.<br />
Along with Roy De Maistre and Roland Wakelin <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was a student <strong>of</strong> Anthony Dattilo<br />
Rubbo, who introduced his students to the art <strong>of</strong> the Post-Impressionists Cézanne, Van Gogh and<br />
Gauguin.<br />
The paintings <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, with their singing colour, fan-shaped brushstrokes defi ning<br />
simplifi ed forms and dynamic, <strong>of</strong>ten asymmetrically balanced compositions place her fi rmly in the<br />
modernist tradition.<br />
The Lacquer Room, painted in 1935–36, demonstrates many modernist<br />
characteristics. It depicts an American-style Art Deco café from the late<br />
1920s called the Soda Fountain, located in David Jones, Sydney. The<br />
geometric forms in the painting are simplifi ed and fl attened, and the<br />
repeated shapes create rhythmic patterns.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The curves <strong>of</strong> the red chairs and their vertical slats dominate the<br />
composition and are counter-pointed by the green rectangular tables<br />
and the chalky geometry <strong>of</strong> the background. There is no directed light<br />
source creating shadows and tone, instead the whole composition is<br />
bathed in an even glow.<br />
Study for The Lacquer Room<br />
c. 1935 pencil on paper<br />
sketchbook 14 <strong>National</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Purchased 1976<br />
The fi gures, although painted in darker, more muted colours, seem almost as inanimate as the<br />
furniture. They are captured as if looking at the artist making the preliminary drawing for this work,<br />
a practice she used for all <strong>of</strong> her paintings from this period.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•List the characteristics <strong>of</strong> modernism that this painting exhibits.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Eastern Road, Turramurra c. 1926
LANDSCAPE<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Eastern Road, Turramurra c. 1926<br />
watercolour over pencil on paperboard<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Bequest <strong>of</strong> Mervyn Horton 1984<br />
Many <strong>of</strong> <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s landscapes from the 1920s were painted near her home in the<br />
beautiful, elevated, semi-rural North Shore suburb <strong>of</strong> Turramurra. The subject <strong>of</strong> this work, Eastern<br />
Road, was close to <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s family home and the sharp decline and rise <strong>of</strong> the road<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered her the chance to create this vertiginous composition <strong>of</strong> sweeping space and distant,<br />
oblique horizon.<br />
This watercolour was developed from a pencil sketch in which she<br />
worked out the composition in great detail. <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was a<br />
very deliberate artist; her drawings were made in front <strong>of</strong> the object<br />
and colour notes made on the margin. The drawings are quite specifi c<br />
and correspond closely to the recommendations <strong>of</strong> Beatrice Irwin,<br />
who had written the book New Science <strong>of</strong> colour. Irwin suggested<br />
that colours are imbued with certain properties, for example, olive<br />
green (sedative), rose madder, fawn, royal blue and emerald green<br />
(recuperative), and violet and chrome (stimulative). The squared<br />
drawing was then carefully transferred to the larger support and<br />
the watercolour applied according to the notes on the preparatory<br />
drawing.<br />
Study for Eastern Road, Turramurra<br />
Visual analysis<br />
c. 1926 pencil on paper<br />
sketchbook 10 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
The strong diagonal <strong>of</strong> the road sweeps towards the centre <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
painting and then curves upwards towards the oblique horizon. On Purchased 1976<br />
either side the foreground intersects the sky via the large, framing green<br />
trees. The largest telegraph pole leans towards the left and this angle is emphasised by the three<br />
close-cropped sticks in the foreground. Note that the telephone lines do not continue back into the<br />
work (and do not appear at all on the right-hand side), as they would have made the composition<br />
too complex.<br />
The verticality <strong>of</strong> the trees, poles and road is counterbalanced by many curving horizontal lines <strong>of</strong><br />
the fi elds, trees and houses. The glowing curves <strong>of</strong> the sky lighten towards the horizon. The colour<br />
red is used almost like punctuation across the composition, attracting the eye from one side <strong>of</strong><br />
the road to the other. A horse and cart, steamroller and distant person on the road enliven the<br />
composition and serve to create a sense <strong>of</strong> distance.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•Discuss the role <strong>of</strong> colour theory and the role <strong>of</strong> drawing in the work <strong>of</strong> <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees, waterfall, picnic in a gully 1929
LANDSCAPE<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees,<br />
waterfall, picnic in a gully 1929<br />
oil on cardboard<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Purchased 1976<br />
A thread that runs through the work <strong>of</strong> <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> is her contented view <strong>of</strong> the<br />
world around her – the suburban life <strong>of</strong> North Shore Turramurra, where she lived for most <strong>of</strong> her life.<br />
Although much <strong>of</strong> her subject matter was fairly conservative – still lifes, landscapes, fl ower studies,<br />
portraits, interiors and cityscapes – her radical, adventurous treatment <strong>of</strong> these subjects placed<br />
her in a realm <strong>of</strong> her own. She <strong>of</strong>ten stated her interest in the works <strong>of</strong> European masters, such as<br />
Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin, and incorporated stylistic elements from these artists into her<br />
own art, which resulted in paintings <strong>of</strong> great vigour and originality.<br />
Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees, waterfall, picnic in a gully was painted<br />
in 1929; it was commissioned by Gladys MacDermot a collector who, on a visit to Sydney, had<br />
admired and bought one <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s Bridge paintings. The four panels were displayed<br />
individually in an exhibition in 1932 at the Walker’s Galleries in London before being made into a<br />
screen. Despite favourable reviews, MacDermot did not approve <strong>of</strong> the panels and they were<br />
left with <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s sister Mabel, who lived in England. There they stayed until they were<br />
purchased for the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> in 1976.<br />
The fi rst two panels illustrate fl owers and trees from the artist’s garden in Turramurra, while the<br />
second two are bushland panels that describe the bush nearby.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The unusual, tall format suits the subject matter <strong>of</strong> trees, waterfalls and rocky outcrops. To<br />
counteract this verticality <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> uses many horizontal curved forms that describe<br />
foliage, the foreground, rocks, falling water and the sky. The colour is high-keyed and opaque, with<br />
each brushstroke applied deftly.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•In what way was <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> pushing the boundaries <strong>of</strong> contemporary art?
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Poinsettias 1931
FLOWERS<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Poinsettias 1931<br />
oil on pulpboard<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> South <strong>Australia</strong>, Adelaide<br />
Ivor Francis Bequest Fund 1995<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s mother died in 1931 and this event shattered the close-knit <strong>Smith</strong> family.<br />
Her mother’s declining health and mortality also led <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> to think about what it meant<br />
to be alive on this earth. In historical ‘vanitas’ paintings the subject <strong>of</strong> fl owers is <strong>of</strong>ten associated<br />
with the transience <strong>of</strong> life.<br />
Poinsettias 1931 was painted in the year <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s mother’s<br />
death. The cyclical nature <strong>of</strong> life is suggested by the fragility <strong>of</strong> these<br />
blooms, their curling, dying leaves and their downcast form. However,<br />
the vivid colour and radiating composition is also an affi rmation <strong>of</strong> life.<br />
Lily growing in a fi eld by the sea c. 1927 has a strange iconic quality.<br />
Cropped from their leaves, the large blossoms fi ll the top half <strong>of</strong> the<br />
canvas. Neither in a vase nor a garden, isolated against a distant<br />
fence line, this image creates an edgy quality not normally associated<br />
with fl ower paintings. Similarly unconventional, the closely focused<br />
dusky red and white petals <strong>of</strong> Hippeastrums growing 1931 fi ll the frame.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> <strong>of</strong>ten painted fl owers. Her sense <strong>of</strong> structure,<br />
combined with the delicate quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>n native fl ora resulted<br />
in works that were lighter and less dramatic than those <strong>of</strong> her peer<br />
Margaret Preston. As <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> said in an interview with Alan<br />
Roberts in 1970, ‘to me the whole point <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>n fl owers is that they<br />
are extremely light … they have an atmosphere <strong>of</strong> their own … very<br />
beautiful and light’.<br />
Lily growing in a fi eld by the sea<br />
c. 1927 oil on pulpboard<br />
Private collection Photographed<br />
by Brenton McGeachie for NGA<br />
Visual analysis<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>, like Cézanne, was not interested in symmetry or<br />
stability. Many <strong>of</strong> her compositions included angled forms that direct<br />
the eye through the picture plane. Note the angle <strong>of</strong> the vase, the<br />
table and the curved stem that ends in a small, curled brown leaf in<br />
the top right. The three circular red blooms are intricately painted over<br />
a careful preliminary drawing and the cloth behind them echoes the<br />
movement <strong>of</strong> the spinning bracts.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•Why were fl owers an important subject for this artist? Discuss the<br />
symbolic nature <strong>of</strong> fl ower paintings.<br />
Hippeastrums growing 1931 oil<br />
on pulpboard Private collection
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Church interior c. 1941–42
RELIGION<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Church interior c. 1941–42<br />
oil with pencil on pulpboard<br />
Queensland Art <strong>Gallery</strong>, Brisbane<br />
Purchased 2001 with funds raised through<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> Queensland Art <strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation Appeal<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was born into a devoutly Anglican family. Both <strong>of</strong> her parents were born<br />
in England and the <strong>Smith</strong>s had many relatives living there. In 1890 Ernest <strong>Smith</strong>, a solicitor, married<br />
the beautiful and musical <strong>Grace</strong> Fisher, whose father was a clergyman. The family was relatively<br />
affl uent. The <strong>Smith</strong> children’s early education was conducted at home by governesses and private<br />
tutors, an accepted practice for their social standing. Ernest <strong>Smith</strong> played a distant role in the<br />
rearing <strong>of</strong> the family, supervising prayers in the evening and reading stories. He oversaw the spiritual<br />
instruction <strong>of</strong> the children with priestly authority. His was a non-dogmatic faith, but steadfast and<br />
unchallenged, and was to be a determining factor not only in the artist’s life but in her art.<br />
Church interior was painted during World War II. It depicts St James’ Anglican Church in Turramurra,<br />
a signifi cant place for the <strong>Smith</strong> family, as they had worshipped there regularly since 1913. This<br />
particular church had been rebuilt during 1941 and <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s painting would have been<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the fi rst images <strong>of</strong> the new interior. The stained-glass window depicted in Church interior was<br />
designed by <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s good friend Ethel Anderson. By positioning herself at the back <strong>of</strong><br />
the church the artist became both an observer and a worshipper. Missing in this painting are the<br />
young men who have gone to war, and many <strong>of</strong> the women are wearing black, lending a somber<br />
feel to the painting. The enclosing shape <strong>of</strong> the church ro<strong>of</strong>, the calmly ordered pews and choir,<br />
and diagonal blue carpet leading to the cross beneath the glowing window convey a safe-haven<br />
at this time <strong>of</strong> war and sacrifi ce.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The sense <strong>of</strong> order in Church interior is created by careful geometric drawing. The female fi gure in<br />
the pink coat is centered in the foreground and it seems that through her eyes we see the altar as<br />
the focal point <strong>of</strong> all the diagonal lines in the composition.<br />
Discussion point<br />
•How does this painting reveal the artist’s religious background and her feelings about World War II?
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Interior with wardrobe mirror 1955
INTERIORS<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Interior with wardrobe mirror 1955<br />
oil on canvas on paperboard<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> New South Wales, Sydney © AGNSW<br />
Photographed by Ray Woodbury for AGNSW<br />
During the 1950s <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was spending most <strong>of</strong> her time at home in Turramurra<br />
nursing her sister Diddy, who had suffered a stroke. Advised by a friend to increase the size <strong>of</strong> her<br />
paintings, <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s fi rst large interior, Interior with verandah doors, was painted in 1954. All<br />
<strong>of</strong> the following interiors have a similar personal, but unpopulated, appearance. The artist is invisibly<br />
present; she captures her own memories and dreams in these images <strong>of</strong> rooms in the family home.<br />
Her presence is felt in the open cupboards, the rug, books and paintings that make her room<br />
personal. Pictures within pictures, views through windows and refl ected in mirrors typify <strong>Cossington</strong><br />
<strong>Smith</strong>’s works from this point.<br />
Interior with wardrobe mirror was painted in 1955 when the artist was 63. The dramatic use <strong>of</strong><br />
diagonal planes creates a composition that is both visually complex and intellectually intriguing.<br />
Although by this stage <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was no longer relying on sketches to prepare her<br />
compositions, the careful placement <strong>of</strong> angled forms that touch and refl ect each other indicates<br />
that the composition was carefully worked out prior to painting.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The open cupboard door and the bed on the right are both cropped, bringing the viewer right<br />
into the space <strong>of</strong> the painting. The artist’s characteristic use <strong>of</strong> diagonals in her composition lead<br />
the eye to the bottom point <strong>of</strong> the mirrored door. The mirror refl ects the bed, verandah and sunny<br />
garden beyond the room, and hidden behind the mirror is the suggestion <strong>of</strong> another door leading<br />
to another part <strong>of</strong> the house.<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>’s use <strong>of</strong> small, square brushstrokes capture a shimmering light with their<br />
fragmented colours, however, in this work they do follow the direction <strong>of</strong> the form evident on the<br />
fl oor and rug. The artist stated in an interview with Hazel de Berg in 1965: ‘I use squares in the way<br />
I paint … because I feel in that way … light can be put into the colour, whereas just to put colour<br />
onto the surface in a fl at way, I feel that it gives it a dead look.’<br />
Discussion points<br />
•Discuss the way <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> reveals not only her environment but her personality<br />
in this painting.<br />
•<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was a painter <strong>of</strong> light. Discuss.
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Interior in yellow 1962, 1964
INTERIORS<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Interior in yellow 1962, 1964<br />
oil on composition board<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra<br />
Purchased 1965<br />
Since 1911, in her earliest sketchbooks <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> had<br />
been interested in doorways, creating suggestions <strong>of</strong> space beyond.<br />
She exhibited small paintings <strong>of</strong> interiors intermittently in the 1930s and<br />
regularly in the 1940s. Her 1947 exhibition included 10 interior views <strong>of</strong><br />
her home. Their signifi cance lies in the opportunities they <strong>of</strong>fered for<br />
experimentation and as a precursor to the great interiors <strong>of</strong> her later<br />
life. The framing device <strong>of</strong> a doorway creates an immediate illusion<br />
<strong>of</strong> depth, a feature <strong>of</strong> the work <strong>of</strong> Pierre Bonnard, whose paintings<br />
<strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> would have seen on her last visit overseas, between<br />
1948 and 1951. However, she states that it was Cézanne who was more<br />
important to her; his use <strong>of</strong> unstable compositions and form-defi ning<br />
brushstrokes can be seen as an inspiration for many <strong>of</strong> her paintings.<br />
In her later years the artist’s use <strong>of</strong> brighter, more fragmented colour<br />
may have refl ected her sense <strong>of</strong> liberation, freed from the pressures<br />
<strong>of</strong> having to prove herself. These late interiors with their brilliant use<br />
<strong>of</strong> colour, especially yellow, represent an emphasis on the emotional<br />
aspects <strong>of</strong> colour. For <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> seeing and feeling were<br />
inseparable. As she said in an interview with Alan Roberts in 1970, ‘I see something and it makes<br />
me feel a colour and that is what I try to get’. In fact the interior rooms <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> were not<br />
particularly bright, the verandahs obstructing most <strong>of</strong> the direct sunlight that seems to permeate<br />
these paintings.<br />
While painting Interior in yellow <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> fell and broke her hip. She fi nished the painting<br />
two years after beginning it, and it is tempting to read into the enclosed feel <strong>of</strong> the room something<br />
<strong>of</strong> her confi nement during this time.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The angled bed and chair dominate the foreground <strong>of</strong> this dramatically glowing painting, with<br />
the strong diagonal <strong>of</strong> the fl oor and walls leading the viewer’s eye to the far corner <strong>of</strong> the work.<br />
Another spatial illusion is created with the sunny refection <strong>of</strong> the verandah and garden seen in the<br />
mirrored door <strong>of</strong> the wardrobe. Completed almost nine years after Interior with wardrobe mirror,<br />
the composition is more stable and the brushstrokes are invariably vertical. This device creates a<br />
dynamic tension between the surface <strong>of</strong> the painting and the illusion <strong>of</strong> space created by the<br />
diagonal forms.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•Discuss the artist’s feeling for and use <strong>of</strong> colour in her art.<br />
•How did the work <strong>of</strong> Cézanne infl uence <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>?<br />
Study for A passageway at<br />
Church Cottage, Bowral 1911–12<br />
pencil on paper sketchbook 2<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>,<br />
Canberra Purchased 1976
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Top deck, the Arawa, Shaw Savill Line c. 1949
TRAVEL<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
Top deck, the Arawa, Shaw Savill Line c. 1949<br />
ink and pen, pencil, and coloured pencil<br />
sketchbook 25 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, Canberra Purchased 1976<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> spent most <strong>of</strong> her life living in the family home in Turramurra. During her<br />
student days she spent more time in the city, traveling there by train. She traveled overseas twice.<br />
The fi rst trip was with her father and older sister, Mabel, in 1912 when <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> was 19.<br />
During this time she briefl y attended art school at Winchester in England and also attended art<br />
classes during a three-month stay in Stettin, Germany.<br />
Separated by some 34 years and two world wars, the artist’s second period overseas spanned<br />
December 1948 to February 1951. By this time she was a mature and established artist.<br />
Accompanied by her two younger sisters, Madge and Diddy, <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> fi lled 26 sketchbooks<br />
over this period. Drawing was her primary mode <strong>of</strong> making art while overseas, and the drawings<br />
present a chronological and geographical survey <strong>of</strong> her journeys to new and familiar places. In<br />
these later drawings she replaced pastels with graphite pencil, coloured pencil, and pen and ink.<br />
Over her artistic life <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> fi lled many sketchbooks with drawings, 52 <strong>of</strong> which are in the<br />
collection <strong>of</strong> the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>. Many <strong>of</strong> these sketchbooks are fi lled with sketches<br />
made during her second trip abroad and a number are fi nished drawings rather than working<br />
drawings for later paintings.<br />
Top deck, the Arawa, Shaw Savill Line c. 1949 was created on the way to Europe. <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong><br />
spent many hours observing and drawing life on deck, the heaving ocean, and the luminous light<br />
<strong>of</strong> sky and water. She used coloured pencils lightly, letting the paper show through, concentrating<br />
on their lineal rather than tonal quality. As in her paintings, the direction <strong>of</strong> the pencil strokes in her<br />
drawings animate the surface and convey movement and light.<br />
Visual analysis<br />
The artist’s characteristic use <strong>of</strong> oblique lines and angled structures can be seen in this composition.<br />
The converging lines <strong>of</strong> the deck lead the eye into the distance, with the overlapping and tilting<br />
forms on the left conveying the heaving motion <strong>of</strong> the vessel.<br />
Discussion points<br />
•Discuss the signifi cance <strong>of</strong> drawing in the art <strong>of</strong> <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Cossington</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>.<br />
•Discuss the difference between a fi nished drawing and a sketch. Look at Top Deck, the Arawa,<br />
Shaw Savill Line in this context.