I’m glad Alex Taylor decided to write a book about the studios of bohemian Melbourne. I love this painting chosen for the cover. Such a thrill to see a work like this.
| Archibald Colquhoun, Amalie Colquhoun, 1948, Art Gallery of New South Wales |
It’s a beautiful painting. It’s the red and the green and the blue. Archibald manages to bring some life to the sometimes dreary all over misty technique that Max Meldrum was espousing. It’s a strong bold colour and her pose shows the authority that red has. I haven’t been able to get this red coat out of my mind. Why is she wearing a red coat? Did the ladies at art school wear bright coloured coats? I don’t know.
The Women’s Weekly, in 1937, featured Amalie in their “Let’s Talk of Interesting People” column. “A women who shares honors with her artist husband is Amalie Colquhoun, wife of Archibald Colquhoun. They run an art school together. They recently held a joint exhibition at Islington Galleries, London. Mrs Colquhoun’s portraits of well-know Australian girls were particularly lovely.”
What a funny posed image of the two of them preparing dinner in their studio.
|Archibald and Amalie Colquhoun, c. 1945 |
Alex Taylor’s book is called “Perils of the Studio”.
Julia Ritson
Leave a Reply