15 August 2005

A Painted Woman: Works from the Howard Hinton Collection, a New England Regional Art Museum traveling exhibition, will soon be on display at the Shepparton Art Gallery.

The exhibition will show from 20th August until 18th September, 2005.

Drawn from the Howard Hinton Collection housed at the New England Regional Art Museum, this series of 59 works present ‘woman’ from the perspective of both male and female artists.

This exhibition shows ‘woman’ in all types of guises, portraits and contexts – as Madonna, whore, mother, grandmother, dancer, lover, singer, home-maker, temptress, musician, goddess and poser.

The women are the sole figures in the portraits. They sometimes meet the gaze of the viewer, other times they are depicted in the midst of a task, a conversation or a leisurely pursuit.

Artists include Tom Roberts, Rupert Bunny, Fred Leist, Arthur Murch, Mary Edwards, Harold Abbott, George Bell, Dorothea Johnston, Norman Lindsay and AH Hanke.

Included in the exhibition is Rupert Bunny’s work A Sunny Day (1922), pictured left. Rupert Bunny spent several years in Germany and Switzerland, gaining a cosmopolitan education and introduction to the European way of life. Despite his parents’ objections, he followed his passion for painting and is now remembered as one of Australia’s finest artists.

Also included in the exhibition are works by Tom Roberts. Roberts was one of the first Australian painters to travel to Europe to perfect his craft. He devoted himself to the expression of the Australian scene, camping in the bush near Melbourne to capture the landscape and figures in the landscape. His works in this exhibition include Rose of Persia (1900), The Paris Hat (1892) and The Pink Dress (1888).

This exhibition evokes reactions of surprise, familiarity and enjoyment from viewers. The women, whatever their social upbringing and circumstances, give audiences a flavour of female taste, attitudes and imagery of this particular period in Australian history.

Admission to the Shepparton Art Gallery is free and it is open seven days a week from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. The gallery is located in the Eastbank Centre, 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton, phone (03) 5832 9861.