Untitled
Dublin Core
Title
Untitled
Subject
Still life
Description
Proctor’s watercolour floral arrangement exudes her flair for decorative design. Enclosed in a dotted oval frame, the composition consists of several features which allude to Proctor’s interest in interior design and her role as a tastemaker. These include the blue striped wallpaper in the background, the floral design painted on the vase, the lace doily and the blue ribbon on the table. The wallpaper also suggests a nod to the Art Deco trends of the 1920s and 1930s. Besides a thin wash of paint casting the shadow of the vase, little attention has been paid to creating a sense of depth. The strong outlines of the leaves, petals and vase further flatten the image. However, Proctor’s bold and opaque use of colour creates a strong visual impact, such that the flowers appear to jump out of the frame. The repeated use of blue develops compositional harmony and the straight geometry of the background pattern is contrasted with the organic crumples of the ribbon. The red flowers and table serve as a complementary colour to the green leaves, further enhancing the vibrancy of the image. Colour was essential to Proctor’s aesthetic and she painted many carefully curated floral arrangements throughout her career (Engledow, 2005, p. 69).
Proctor moved to London in 1903 where she became involved in a circle of expatriate Australian artists (Engledow, 2005, p. 27; Butler, 1988). She developed interests in Chinese and Japanese art and French design and thrived in the European art world, the antithesis of Australia’s provincialism (Sayers, 2005, p. 6). Following World War I, Proctor resettled in Sydney where she played a central role in forming the Contemporary Group of artists - many of whom were returning expatriates seeking to expose Australia to the modernist ideas they had gleaned from Europe (Maloney, 2008, p. 74; Butler, 1988). Proctor was labelled “dangerously modern,” which amused her given that in London, she was regarded “as belonging to her own age, and quite old-fashioned” (Butler, 1988; Sayers, 2005, p. 6). In 1932, Art in Australia devoted an issue to Proctor’s work, an honour usually awarded to male artists working under the landscape tradition of the Heidelberg School (Jordan, 1993, p. 200; Butler, 1988). She was not only one of the few women artists, but also one of the only modernist artists to be promoted seriously (Jordan, 1993, p. 200).
Modernism in Australia came to be regarded as a distinctly feminine practice; fashionable and commercial but separate from the traditional values fine art (Jordan, 1993, p. 202). Still life, as both a modernist and female genre, was not viewed as serious subject matter because it was considered easier to execute and therefore less impressive (Jordan, 1993, p. 203). Despite these issues of gender politics, Proctor’s watercolours and designs are considered among the best decorative images of the period (Humphries, 2005, p. 2). She was widely considered an elegant arbiter of taste, a status that implies an authoritative and fashionable voice, broader than the typical realm of the artist (Butler, 1988; Jordan, 1993, p. 204; Sayers, 2005, p. 6).
Louise Hanson-Dyer and Proctor are known to have been friends (Davidson, 1994, p. 81). The Visitors’ Book was not the first time Louise commissioned a work by Proctor. She also illustrated a program for a concert Louise organised before her move to Paris (Davidson, 1994, p. 102).
References
Butler, 1988: Roger Butler, ‘Proctor, Althea Mary (Thea) (1879-1966)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988. Accessed online 21 December 2017. URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/proctor-alethea-mary-thea-8122.
Davidson, 1994: Jim Davidson, Lyrebird Rising, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1994.
Engledow, 2005: Sarah Engledow, ‘The world of Thea Proctor’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 205, p. 17-76.
Humphries, 2005: Barry Humphires, ‘Thea Proctor: a memoir’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 2005, p. 2-4.
Jordan, 1993: Caroline Jordan, ‘Designing Women: Modernism in Art in Australia and The Home’, Art and Australia, 31, no. 2, pp. 200-206.
Maloney, 2008: Shane Maloney, ‘Thea Proctor and Margaret Preston, The Monthly, November 2008, p. 74.
Sayers, 2005: Andrew Sayers, ‘Thea Proctor: artist and tastemaker’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 2005, p. 5-15.
Proctor moved to London in 1903 where she became involved in a circle of expatriate Australian artists (Engledow, 2005, p. 27; Butler, 1988). She developed interests in Chinese and Japanese art and French design and thrived in the European art world, the antithesis of Australia’s provincialism (Sayers, 2005, p. 6). Following World War I, Proctor resettled in Sydney where she played a central role in forming the Contemporary Group of artists - many of whom were returning expatriates seeking to expose Australia to the modernist ideas they had gleaned from Europe (Maloney, 2008, p. 74; Butler, 1988). Proctor was labelled “dangerously modern,” which amused her given that in London, she was regarded “as belonging to her own age, and quite old-fashioned” (Butler, 1988; Sayers, 2005, p. 6). In 1932, Art in Australia devoted an issue to Proctor’s work, an honour usually awarded to male artists working under the landscape tradition of the Heidelberg School (Jordan, 1993, p. 200; Butler, 1988). She was not only one of the few women artists, but also one of the only modernist artists to be promoted seriously (Jordan, 1993, p. 200).
Modernism in Australia came to be regarded as a distinctly feminine practice; fashionable and commercial but separate from the traditional values fine art (Jordan, 1993, p. 202). Still life, as both a modernist and female genre, was not viewed as serious subject matter because it was considered easier to execute and therefore less impressive (Jordan, 1993, p. 203). Despite these issues of gender politics, Proctor’s watercolours and designs are considered among the best decorative images of the period (Humphries, 2005, p. 2). She was widely considered an elegant arbiter of taste, a status that implies an authoritative and fashionable voice, broader than the typical realm of the artist (Butler, 1988; Jordan, 1993, p. 204; Sayers, 2005, p. 6).
Louise Hanson-Dyer and Proctor are known to have been friends (Davidson, 1994, p. 81). The Visitors’ Book was not the first time Louise commissioned a work by Proctor. She also illustrated a program for a concert Louise organised before her move to Paris (Davidson, 1994, p. 102).
References
Butler, 1988: Roger Butler, ‘Proctor, Althea Mary (Thea) (1879-1966)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988. Accessed online 21 December 2017. URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/proctor-alethea-mary-thea-8122.
Davidson, 1994: Jim Davidson, Lyrebird Rising, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1994.
Engledow, 2005: Sarah Engledow, ‘The world of Thea Proctor’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 205, p. 17-76.
Humphries, 2005: Barry Humphires, ‘Thea Proctor: a memoir’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 2005, p. 2-4.
Jordan, 1993: Caroline Jordan, ‘Designing Women: Modernism in Art in Australia and The Home’, Art and Australia, 31, no. 2, pp. 200-206.
Maloney, 2008: Shane Maloney, ‘Thea Proctor and Margaret Preston, The Monthly, November 2008, p. 74.
Sayers, 2005: Andrew Sayers, ‘Thea Proctor: artist and tastemaker’ in The World of Thea Proctor, Canberra: Craftsman House, 2005, p. 5-15.
Creator
Thea Proctor (1879 - 1966)
Source
Book of autographs of visitors to Louise Hanson-Dyer, manuscript, The University of Melbourne
Date
1926
Contributor
Reetika Khanna
Format
Watercolour, 165 x 130 mm
Type
Image
Citation
Thea Proctor (1879 - 1966), “Untitled,” Special Collections and Grainger Museum, accessed April 18, 2024, https://spcgm.omeka.net/items/show/11.