Dora Lynnell Wilson (31 August 1883 – 21 November 1946) was a British-born Australian artist, best known in her adopted country of Australia for her etchings and street scenes.
Early life
Dora Lynnell Wilson was born on 31 August 1883 in
Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Her parents were James Wilson, agent, and Annie Maria, née Green.
The family emigrated to the state of
Victoria in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1884, when Dora was a year old.
Education
Wilson was educated at Somerset School and
Methodist Ladies' College in
Melbourne. From 1901–1906 she studied at the
National Gallery under
Bernard Hall and
Frederick McCubbin, forming friendships with fellow artists
Ruth Hollick
Ruth Miriam Hollick (17 March 1883 – 7 April 1977) was an Australian portrait and fashion photographer who was one of Melbourne's leading Pictorialist photographers during the 1920s.
Education and personal life
Ruth Miriam Hollick was born in ...
, Gwendolyn Grant,
Norah Gurdon
Norah Gurdon (Jan-March 1882 - 27 June 1974) was an Australian artist. Her first name is often misspelled Nora in many articles reviewing her work.
Early life
Norah Gurdon was born around Jan-March 1882 in Norfolk, England, to Dr. Edwin John Gu ...
, and her partner
Pegg Clarke
Pegg Clarke ( – 1959) was an Australian professional fashion, portrait, architectural and society photographer whose work, published frequently in magazines, was referred to by historian Jack Cato as being of "the highest standard."
Biograp ...
. She also took lessons from
John Mather with
Jessie Traill
Jessie Constance Alicia Traill (29 July 1881 – 15 May 1967) was an Australian printmaker. Trained by Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, and by painter and printmaker Frank Brangwyn in London, Traill worked in ...
and
Janie Wilkinson Whyte.
Artistic career
Wilson was best known for her etchings, pastels and oils of still lifes and nudes. Her work was praised for her 'strong sense of colour' but also critiqued for demonstrating a 'chocolate box prettiness'.
Her work was included in a number of notable exhibitions, including the Australian Exhibition of Women's Work in Melbourne, a
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
exhibition of Australian art in London. In 1923 her work, 'Reve d'Or', was reproduced on the cover of ''Women's World''
[ and exhibited at the Société des Artistes Français in Paris.]Jessie Traill
Jessie Constance Alicia Traill (29 July 1881 – 15 May 1967) was an Australian printmaker. Trained by Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, and by painter and printmaker Frank Brangwyn in London, Traill worked in ...
, Janet Cumbrae Stewart
Janet Agnes Cumbrae Stewart (23 December 1883 – 8 September 1960) was an Australian painter. She spent the 1920s and 1930s painting in Britain, France and Italy.
Biography
Cumbrae Stewart was born on 23 December 1883 in Brighton, Victoria, ...
, Norah Gurdon
Norah Gurdon (Jan-March 1882 - 27 June 1974) was an Australian artist. Her first name is often misspelled Nora in many articles reviewing her work.
Early life
Norah Gurdon was born around Jan-March 1882 in Norfolk, England, to Dr. Edwin John Gu ...
, Penleigh Boyd
Theodore Penleigh Boyd (15 August 1890 – 27 November 1923) was a British born Australian artist.
Penleigh Boyd was a member of the Boyd artistic dynasty: his parents Arthur Merric Boyd (1862–1940) and Emma Minnie Boyd (née à Beckett) w ...
, and Lindsay Bernard Hall. Wilson was also a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
From the 1920s onwards she concentrated largely on street scenes, and in 1923 she was commissioned by Sir Baldwin Spencer
Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer (23 June 1860 – 14 July 1929), commonly referred to as Baldwin Spencer, was a British-Australian evolutionary biologist, anthropologist and ethnologist.
He is known for his fieldwork with Aboriginal peoples i ...
to undertake a series of paintings of European landmarks, which saw her travelling around Europe for over two years, accompanied by the photographer Pegg Clarke.[ In 1928 these works were exhibited at the Beaux Arts Gallery, London, and the following year at Australia House. In the early 1930s she focused on historical scenes from Melbourne's history, with an exhibition entitled 'Milestones of Melbourne' held at the Fine Art Society Gallery in March 1935. Her work was received favorably by Arthur Streeton for being "fresh in colour and treatment and free from the depressing appearance of black paint." In 1937 she joined and exhibited with Robert Menzies' Australian Academy of Art.
State Library Victoria
State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...]
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File:Dora L Wilson - Exterior view of single story house with steep gabled roof.jpg,
Wilson died of cancer on 21 November 1946 and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery,
. She made a bequest to the National Gallery trustees in the amount of £1100 as it was her wish to help Australian artists to travel abroad.
* 1943, from 1 December; Inclusion in a group show of ninety-one paintings and etchings with
, Geo. Colville, and Victor Cog.
Library.
''
McCaul, Dermot.