Ruth Sutherland (1884–1948), was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal ...

painter and art critic. She was a founding member of the

Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Twenty Melbourne Painters Society is an Australian arts organisation that was established in 1918. The group split from the Victorian Artists Society to follow the Australian Tonalist Max Meldrum. Membership is restricted to 20 and is upon invitat ...

Biography

Sutherland was born in Adelaide in 1884. She was granddaughter to notable sketcher George Sutherland, who emigrated to Australia from Scotland. She was a pupil of Gwen Barringer in South Australia before coming to Melbourne. She attended the

National Gallery of Victoria Art School The National Gallery of Victoria Art School, associated with the National Gallery of Victoria, was a private fine arts college founded in 1867 and was Australia's leading art school of 50 years. It is also referred to as the 'National Gallery ...

where she was taught by

Lindsay Bernard Hall Lindsay Bernard Hall (28 December 1859 – 14 February 1935) was an English-born Australian artist, teacher and art gallery director. Early life and career Hall was born at Garston, Liverpool, England, the son of a broker of the same fam ...

. Sutherland wrote articles for the Melbourne newspaper '

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...

' and to the journal '

Art in Australia ''Art in Australia'' was an Australian art magazine that was published between 1916 and 1942. Founding ''Art in Australia,'' was first issued in 1916. It was edited by Sydney Ure Smith, graphic artist and director of the advertising agency, ...

' about Max Meldrum and Hilda Rix Nicholas. Sutherland was the niece of the painter Jane Sutherland and the sister of the composer

Margaret Sutherland Margaret Ada Sutherland (20 November 189712 August 1984) was an Australian composer, among the best-known female musicians her country has produced. Career Margaret Sutherland's father was George Sutherland, a journalist and writer and memb ...

. She was also a cousin of

Stella Bowen Esther Gwendolyn "Stella" Bowen (1893–1947) was an Australian artist and writer. Early career Bowen was born in North Adelaide, an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, and educated at Tormore House School. As a young girl, Bowen enjo ...

's. She was a member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters. She had a joint exhibition of oils, watercolours and pastels with fellow artists

Dora Wilson 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 New ...

and May Roxburgh in 1918. Sutherland had a history with Dora Wilson prior to later established artist societies, exhibiting as part of "The Waddy" in 1909, along with

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, ...

and Nora Gurdon. She enjoyed doing landscapes, renting a cottage in Lilydale with Bernice Edwell and Florence Rodway to sketch the surrounding country. She also exhibited with the Yarra Sculptors' Society. She died in 1948. A memorial exhibition of her work referred to her as "a quiet artist in a mode of painting now largely abandoned" and that her works were most sympathetic.

Selected works

File:Ruth Sutherland - Still life.jpg, Still life, ''Private collection'' File:Ruth Sutherland - Homestead.jpg, Homestead, ''Private collection'' File:Ruth Sutherland - The Ruin & Trees.webp, The Ruin & Trees, ''Private collection'' File:Ruth Sutherland - Girl in a hammock.jpg, Girl in a hammock, ''

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

Exhibitions

* 1909, "The Waddy" society of artists, ''Guild Hall'' * 1909, Federal Art Exhibition, ''North terrace'' * 1911, Yarra Sculptors Society, ''Athenaeum Hall'' * 1912, "The Waddy" society (with Dora Taylor and

), ''Tuckett and Styles' Gallery'' * 1912, Group exhibition (with

and Nora Gurdon), ''Tuckett and Styles' Gallery'' * 1912 Victorian Artists Society autumn exhibition, ''Albert Street galleries'' * 1913, Group exhibition, ''Athenaeum Hall'' * 1914, Australian Art Association, ''Athenaeum Hall'' * 1914, British History Tableaux (in aid of Red Cross),

Victorian Artists Society The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously Vi ...

* 1914, Twelve Melbourne Painters Society second exhibition, ''Athenaeum Hall'' * 1915,

twentieth annual exhibition * 1916,

annual exhibition * 1916, French Week appeal exhibition, ''Town Hall'' * 1917, Australian Art Association fifth annual exhibition * 1918, Group exhibition (with

and May Roxburgh), ''Fine Art Society'' * 1919, French aid exhibition, ''Fine Art Galleries'' * 1919,

, ''Athenaeum Gallery'' * 1919,

Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, established in Melbourne, Victoria in 1902, is the oldest surviving women's art group in Australia. History The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (MSWPS) began in 1902 as ...

annual exhibition, ''Victoria Markets'' * 1920, Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, ''Athenaeum Hall'' * 1940, Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors annual exhibition, ''Athenaeum Gallery'' * 1941,

annual exhibition, ''Athenaeum Gallery'' * 1950, Memorial exhibition for Ruth Sutherland, ''Melbourne Book Club Gallery''

References

External links

images of Ruth Sutherland's paintings
on MutualArt
Biographical cuttings on Ruth Sutherland
''

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

''
Ruth Sutherland
Australian art and artists file, ''

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 th ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Ruth 1884 births 1948 deaths 19th-century Australian women artists 20th-century Australian women artists 20th-century Australian artists People from Adelaide Australian people of Scottish descent Artists from Melbourne National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni