Eric Prentice Anchor Thake (8 June 1904 – 3 November 1982) was an Australian artist, designer, painter, printmaker and war artist. His 1972 Christmas card ''An Opera House in Every Home,'' a humorous take on

Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the b ...

's World Heritage-listed building is a well-known work.

Early life

Thake was born in Auburn, Melbourne, on 8 June 1904, the only child of Emily Lockwood (née Doran) and Henry Thake, dairyman. Educated at

Auburn Primary School Hawthorn East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn East recorded a population of 14,834 at the 2021 census. The ...

, at age fourteen at the end of WW1 he was apprenticed to a process engraving firm Patterson Shugg. He enrolled in 1921 at the Drawing School of the National Gallery of Victoria under traditionalist painter W. B. McInnes, then went on to study painting and drawing part-time with the

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

Melbourne artist George Bell from 1925 to 1928. In 1935 he married Grace Bessie Doris Godfrey.

Career

From June 1930 Thake showed with 'The Embryos,' a group that included Raymond Lindsay, a son of

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of hi ...

, Constance Parkin (then the holder of the National Gallery Travelling Scholarship), Margaret Crombie, Shiela Hawkins, James Flett, Herbert McClintock, and Nutter Buzzacott; and in the Contemporary Group, Melbourne with George Bell,

Daryl Lindsay Sir Ernest Daryl Lindsay (31 December 1889 – 25 December 1976), known as Dan Lindsay, was an Australian artist. Early life He was the youngest son in a large family born to Anglo-Irish surgeon Robert Charles Alexander and Jane Elizabeth Linds ...

Isabel May Tweddle Isabel May (Diana) Tweddle (1875–1945), was an Australian painter. She was a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors and the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Inc. A number of her paintings are in the collections of ...

, Evelyn Syme,

Ada May Plante Ada May Plante (4 October 1875 – 3 July 1950) was a New Zealand-born Post-Impressionist artist who was one of the founding exhibitors in the Post-Impressionist Melbourne Contemporary Group. She was a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Pa ...

Arnold Shore Arnold Joseph Victor Shore (5 May 1897, Windsor, – 22 May 1963, Melbourne) was an Australian painter, teacher and critic. Biography Shore was the youngest of seven children of John Shore, a coachsmith, and his wife Harriett Sarah, née Mc ...

William Frater William Frater (1890–1974) was a Scottish-born Australian stained-glass designer and modernist painter who challenged conservative tastes in Australian art. Early life and education Scotland William Frater was born on 31 January 1890 a ...

and Adrian Lawlor from 1932 to 1938, and with the

Contemporary Art Society The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) is an independent charity that champions the collecting of outstanding contemporary art and craft for UK museum collections. Since its founding in 1910 the organisation has donated over 10,000 works to museum ...

from 1926 to 1956 and concurrently, he worked in

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

for the advertising firm Paton until 1956, producing work for clients including Pelaco shirts. Independently, he produced linocuts, which conveyed his laconic wit in clever visual puns, including

bookplates An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...

and many Christmas cards he produced for friends, numbers of which are held now in national collections. He was a

war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

enlisted as a

Flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(Service Number 145552) between 24 Nov 1943 and 28 Mar 1946, the second such R.A.A.F combatant artist commissioned during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and his two tours of duty covered

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, Noemfoor Island, Morotai,

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

, Darwin and

Koepang Kupang (, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 Census, it had a population of 442,758;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 474,801 ...

. During that time he produced

Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

works as one of the first working in that style in Australia, alongside

James Gleeson James Timothy Gleeson (21 November 1915 – 20 October 2008) was an Australian artist. He served on the board of the National Gallery of Australia. Early life Gleeson was born in the Hornsby in 1915 and attended East Sydney Technical Colleg ...

with whom he shared 1931 the Contemporary Art Society prize. His 1942 oil painting ''Brownout'' sold in 2010 for $228,000. His first solo exhibition was held after the war at Georges Gallery, Melbourne, in 1947. After the War Thake returned to Paton and was featured in advertising by a major client as No. 5 in

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

's "Australian Artists" Series, with a depiction of their

refinery A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ...

in Clyde. By 1960 his work included illustrations for the Australian quarterly ''Manuscripts'', design works included the Australian Pavilion at the Wellington Centennial Exhibition in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

that opened on 8 November 1939 at the outset of the Second World War, covers for the literary journal ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is one of Australia's longest-running literary magazines. Established in 1940 in Brisbane, it moved to Melbourne in 1945 and as of 2008 is an editorially independent impri ...

'', designs for stamps, and concise medical diagrams he produced in the course of his employment from 1956 in the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

’s Visual Aids Department where he remained until his retirement.

Reception

Thake's work started being reviewed from June 1930 when he was twenty-six and had started exhibiting with the group calling themselves 'The Embryos.' Reviewing their show at The Little Gallery in Melbourne ''The Age'' notes that "Eric Thake follows up the new wood engraving movement, and... also shows a clever two-block lino print, ''Returned Empty'' and a decorative lunette design in color." While ''

The Australasian The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victori ...

'' merely noted that his fan design was "very clever," reviewer for '' The Herald'',

Blamire Young William Blamire Young (9 August 1862 – 14 January 1935), commonly known as Blamire Young, was an English-Australian artist and art critic. He painted primarily in watercolour. Biography Early life Young was born at Londesborough, Yorkshire ...

, singled Thake out for particular attention for his "power of design";

It is surprising that Eric Thake, whose power of design has been so universally recognised has not secured more patrons. Probably the reason is that his point of view is more difficult to grasp than that of his comrades. One feels that his artistic horizon is wider, his mentality more complex, and his sense of color and arrangement more exotic than we are accustomed to find in Australian artists.

''The Bulletin'' described his ''Across the Paddocks'' shown in the Victorian Arts and Crafts the Melbourne Town Hall in October 1930 as "a color cut of mushrooms that look as solid as tree stumps," while

Arthur Streeton Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. Early life Streeton was born in Mount Moriac, Victoria ...

in ''The Argus,'' in associating Thake's with

Margaret Preston Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963) was an Australian painter, printmaker and writer on art who is regarded as one of Australia's leading modernists of the early 20th century. In her quest to foster an Australian "national ...

's prints, wrote deprecatingly that "they strike a different note, and ,,, may have their admirers."

Legacy

McCulloch notes that "his sensitivity towards the dispossession of Aboriginal people in his works in particular has been brought to light since his death, and there has been a growing interest in his wonderful Christmas card linocuts, produced from 1941 to 1975. The

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

held a retrospective of his work 15 May–4 July 1970.

Exhibitions

Solo

* 1947: Georges Gallery, Melbourne * 1981: ''Pubs and Bars,'' Geelong Art Gallery * 1981: Retrospective exhibition, Victorian Ministry for the Arts Gallery

Group

* 1929, 6–20 May: Society of Artists' Special Exhibition. David Jones' Art Gallery, 7th floor (Mezzanine), Elizabeth Street, Sydney * 1929, 7 September–4 October: Society of Artists' Annual Exhibition. Education Department Gallery, 5th floor, Loftus St., Sydney * 1930, 5 September–2 October: Society of Artists' Annual Exhibition. Education Department Gallery, 5th floor, Loftus St., Sydney * 1930, 1–12 July: ''The Embryos'', opened by

Bernard Heinze Sir Bernard Thomas Heinze, AC, FRCM (1 July 189410 June 1982) was an Australian conductor, academic, and Director of the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music. He conducted all the orchestras run by the ABC, most particularly the Melb ...

. The Little Gallery, 172 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. * 1930, October: Victorian Arts and Crafts. Melbourne Town Hall * 1935, Contemporary Art Group, Athenaeum, Melbourne * 1935, November: ''Contemporary Art'' with Mary Cecil Allen, Lady Barrett, George Bell,

Rupert Bunny Rupert Charles Wulsten Bunny (29 September 186425 May 1947) was an Australian painter. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, he achieved success and critical acclaim as an expatriate in ''fin-de-siècle'' Paris. He gained an honourable mention ...

, Mrs. Casey (wife of the Commonwealth Treasurer),

, Adrian Lawlor,

Lionel Lindsay Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay (17 October 187422 May 1961) was an Australian artist, known for his paintings and etchings. Early life Lindsay was born in the Victoria (Australia), Victorian town of Creswick, Victoria, Creswick, into a creative f ...

, Eric Thake, Louise Thomas, and Jessie C. Traill. Geelong Grammar * 1935, September: with Kate Van Sommers and Adrian Lawlor. Collegiate Galleries, 357 Little Collins St., Melbourne * 1946, June: ''R.A.A.F. Paintings''. National Gallery of Victoria * 1978: Survey of Australian Relief Prints 1900–1950, Deutscher Gallery

Posthumous

* 1988-9: ''The Great Australian Art Exhibition,''

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

travelling exhibition, Queensland Art Gallery (17 May 1988 – 17 July 1988); Art Gallery of Western Australia. (13 August 1988 – 25 September 1988); Art Gallery Of South Australia. (23 May 1989 – 16 July 1989) * 1992: ''Classical Modernism: The George Bell Circle'',

* 2000-02: Federation: Australian Art and Society,

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

and touring * 2002: ''Christmas Greetings from Thake's Flat'', IPMA * 2003: Australian Surrealism: The Agapitos/Wilson Collection,

Art Gallery of Western Australia The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

* 2005: Retrospective. Geelong Art Gallery * 2005: Bookplates from the Corrigan Collection,

Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo Art Gallery is an Australian art gallery located in Bendigo, Victoria. It is one of the oldest and largest regional art galleries. History The gallery was founded in 1887. The gallery's collection was first housed in the former Bendig ...

* 2005, to 8 July: ''Linocuts, drawings and photographs''. Bridget McDonnell Gallery, 130 Faraday Street, Carlton

Awards

* 1931: Honorable Mention,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Bookplate Exhibition, USA * 1931: Contemporary Art Society prize (shared with James Gleeson), * 1941: Geelong prize, * 1947: Yorick Club prize, * 1956; Cato Prize, VAS

Collections

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galle ...

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1846, by the Royal Society of Tasmania, the oldest Royal Society outside England. The TMAG receives 400,000 visitors annually. ...

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...

State Library of 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 th ...

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...

Art Gallery of Ballarat The Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest regional art gallery in Australia. It was established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by a company of interested citizens led by James Oddie. It initially rented out the first floor of the Balla ...

Castlemaine Art Museum Castlemaine Art Museum is an art gallery and museum in Castlemaine, Victoria, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1913, it is housed in a purpose-built Art Deco building, completed in 1931 and heritage-listed by the National Trust. Its ...

Geelong Art Gallery Geelong Gallery, formerly known as Geelong Art Gallery, is a major regional gallery in the city of Geelong in Victoria, Australia. The Gallery forms Geelong's Cultural Precinct, along with the adjacent Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (Geelo ...

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

Regional Art Gallery * Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery *

Newcastle Art Gallery The Newcastle Art Gallery, formerly the Newcastle City Art Gallery and Newcastle Region Art Gallery, is a large public art museum in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. History Founded in 1945 with an art collection consisting of 123 wor ...

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

* University of Adelaide Library *

References

External links

Eric Thake
at the

Eric Thake
in the

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thake, Eric 1904 births 1982 deaths Artists from Melbourne Australian surrealist artists 20th-century Australian male artists Australian male painters Australian photographers Australian printmakers Australian graphic designers Australian engravers 20th-century Australian painters Australian modern painters