Rosa Somerville Hope (8 June 1902, in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England – 7 May 1972, in

Kokstad Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, ...

, South Africa), was an English painter who visited South Africa in 1935 and stayed on. Her mother was a teacher at the

Camberwell School of Art Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England. The college offers further and higher education programmes, including postgraduate and PhD awards. ...

and her father was recorded as an agent.

Biography

Hope first went to a school in

Romiley Romiley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Cheshire, it borders Marple, Greater Manchester, Marple, Bredbury and Woodley, Greater Manchester, Wood ...

, but then attended the

Manchester High School for Girls Manchester High School for Girls is an English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester. The head mistress is Helen Jeys who took ...

, with her twin sister Muriel. In 1918 she started training at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

in London on a scholarship of £20 and in 1926 won the ''Prix de Rome'' for her etching ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'', which was subsequently shown at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

. She studied under

Henry Tonks Henry Tonks, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, FRCS (9 April 1862 – 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a Caricature, caricaturist. He became an influentia ...

(1862-1937),

Philip Wilson Steer Philip Wilson Steer (28 December 1860 – 18 March 1942) was a British painter of landscapes, seascapes plus portraits and figure studies. He was also an influential art teacher. His sea and landscape paintings made him a leading figure in ...

(1860-1942) and John Wheatley (1892-1955). At this time she was living at 40 Downshire Hill,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, N.W, the same house where Mark Rutherford, the novelist, lived in 1852. When she visited South Africa in 1935, her former teacher at the Slade School, Professor John Laviers Wheatley, offered her a teaching post at the

Michaelis School of Fine Art The Michaelis School of Fine Art is a public university, public tertiary education, tertiary art school in the Cape Town suburb of Gardens, Cape Town, Gardens. It was founded in 1925 and is named after its benefactor, Max Michaelis. It is the Fin ...

at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

. She founded the school's printmaking and engraving department. In 1938 she accepted the post of Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu- ...

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

, where she remained until 1957. From here she made frequent painting trips to the

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Zulu language, Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho language, Sotho: Maloti, Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, Southern Africa, Great Escarpment, which encloses the central South Africa#Geography, Sout ...

and

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

, occasionally accompanied by her friend and fellow painter, Phyllis McCarthy. The Centre for Visual Art at the University of Natal has been entrusted with a donation of her works. Rosa Hope designed the tile tableau of the Great Trek Centenary in the

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...

Post Office in 1939. In January 1923 she was elected an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers. She exhibited drawings at the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) is a society for contemporary artists that was founded in London, England, in 1886 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. The NEAC holds an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries ...

, the Redfern Gallery, Old Bond Street and Messrs. P. and D.

Colnaghi Colnaghi is a last name. Notable people with this last name include: * Ignazio Colnaghi (1924–2017), Italian actor * Luca Colnaghi (born 1999), Italian racing cyclist * Martin Henry Colnaghi (1821–1908), British art dealer * Mattia Colnaghi (bor ...

at the Grosvenor Galleries. She was a member of the

Society of Graphic Art The Society of Graphic Fine Art (known until 1988 as the Society of Graphic Art) is a British arts organisation dedicated to drawing in all of its forms, established in 1919. History The Society of Graphic Art was founded in 1919 by Frank Lewis ...

, the Hampstead Society of Artists and the Print Collectors’ Club. She exhibited with the South African Society of Artists (SASA) until 1942.

Gallery

Rosa Hope03a.jpg, Rosa Hope02.jpg, Phyllis McCarthy04.jpg,

References

* ''Kokstad Advertiser'' - 11 May 1972

External links

Manchester High School For Girls

Michaelis School of Fine Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Rosa 1902 births 1972 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century South African painters 20th-century South African women artists Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Painters from Manchester English emigrants to South Africa People educated at Manchester High School for Girls People from Kokstad Sibling artists Academic staff of the University of Cape Town 20th-century English women painters