Sometimes I don’t know which is more interesting – the artist or their work.
I’m fascinated by Ballarat born girl Hilda Rix Nicholas.
This painting is like a promotional piece for Australia. Hilda was living in Paris at the time and painted this portrait of her good friend Dorothy Richmond.
It’s so bold and confident. An Australian woman full of vigour or innocents abroad?
The chequered orange scarf cascades down her body and exhibits Rix’s understanding of colour harmonies.
You can see she picked up a few techniques from Mr McCubbin at the Gallery School.

| Hilda Rix Nicholas, Une Australienne, 1926 |
National Gallery of Australia have in their collection a wonderfully over the top painting from this time in Paris.
When Hilda returned to Australia she was determined to express the wholesomeness of pastoral Australia and the role of women in this landscape.
Despite there slightly romantic and nationalistic connotations, I really like this series of paintings placing women firmly into the working life of rural Australia.

| Hilda Rix Nicholas, Autumn Evening’s Golden Glow, c 1942 |
Julia Ritson
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