Susan Dorothea White
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Susan Dorothea White (born 10 August 1941) is an Australian artist and author. She is a narrative artist and her work concerns the natural world and human situation, increasingly incorporating satire and irony to convey her concern for human rights and equality. She is the author of ''Draw Like da Vinci'' (2006).


Education and early career

Born in
Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
on 10 August 1941, White grew up in the outback mining town of
Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...
. She started boarding school in Adelaide in 1954, returning home to Broken Hill during school vacations to paint and draw. White first exhibited in 1957; in 1958, while still at school in Adelaide, she began accepting commissions and attended Saturday drawing classes conducted by the artist James Cant, who together with his wife Dora Chapman, had settled permanently in Adelaide in 1956. From 1959 to mid-1960, White was a student in the Diploma of Fine Art program at the South Australian School of Art. At SASA, White was initiated in art appreciation by Dora Chapman who taught her "a broad range of skills including perspective projection".White, Susan D. (2006). ''Draw Like da Vinci''. London: Cassell Illustrated, p.144. . White also learnt lithography from Udo Sellbach. Adelaide art critic Elizabeth Young described White's work in the 1959 exhibition ''Painters and Sculptors of Promise'', organised by the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, as "an able landscape impression". White was a regular prize-winner in the annual Broken Hill exhibitions from 1959 to 1962.May Harding: 'Successful art show by young B. Hill artist', ''The Barrier Miner'', 28 Apr. 1962. With other artists such as Florence May Harding, Pro Hart, and Sam Byrne (painter), White was a foundation member of the Willyama Art Society and participated in its Broken Hill and Adelaide exhibitions in 1961 and 1962. Her portrait of Mr. H.L.C. Cotton, father of the Australian senator Bob Cotton, was described as "strongly painted...outstanding". In July 1960, White moved to Sydney to continue full-time studies at the
Julian Ashton Art School The Julian Ashton Art School was established by Julian Ashton in 1890 as the "Academy Julian", (perhaps a reference to the Académie Julian in Paris) has been an influential art school in Australia. For a long time it was known as the Sydney Art ...
under its principal teacher Henry Gibbons. She also attended evening classes at the
National Art School The National Art School (NAS) is a tertiary level art school, located in , an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is an independent accredited higher education provider offering specialised study in studio arts ...
, in sculpture under Lyndon Dadswell and in drawing. White held her first solo exhibition in 1962 at age 20 at the Technical College in Broken Hill; this exhibition comprised 60 works and included oil and watercolour paintings, drawings, lithographs, and etchings. Praising the quality of her work, Harding wrote: "Bowing to no popular ism or formula except hard work, practice and observation, Susan White turned to our countryside with the fresh vision and vigor of youth. In her pictures it is all there – the red clay, erosion, bramble wattles bursting in bloom, the 'little creeks', big gums, struggling roots, wispy foliage, dry white grass, the silver sheen of the saltbush, dark rocky outcrops... Miss White's exhibition...is a must for all Broken Hill art lovers". In 1963, Sydney critic Daniel Thomas described her landscape painting as "good in its curious Victorian way".


Painting

White's earliest paintings are mostly oils on composition board and watercolours. In the 1970s she changed from oils to the use of acrylics on wood panel. She developed skill in a painting technique "that produces nuance in colour and subtle gradations in tones. The basis of the method is the application of successive washes of acrylic colour to the wood with light sanding of the surface between each wash."Wernig, Anton. "Central theme is the human being" (translation), Galerie Arndt (Munich), July 1980. The New York critic Andrew Margolis described White's more recent paintings as exploring "the most intimate experiences of her life, as well as more topical subjects, in meticulously limned acrylic paintings on wood panels. Her ability to examine unflinchingly such personal milestones as her surgery for a benign brain tumor with a dazed self-portrait in a vertiginously askew hospital setting results in some of the most emotionally jarring narrative imagery in recent art".Margolis, Andrew. 'White, Kahukiwa, & Hotz in lively shows at Montserrat', ''Gallery & Studio'' (New York), Nov/Dec. 1998, p.13. Some of White's acrylic paintings incorporate collage. White's large tableau '' The First Supper'', which was painted in 1988 at the time of the Australian Bicentenary, shows White's inventiveness and concern for human issues.'Susan White - veelzijdig werk', ''Kunstbeeld'' (Amsterdam) October 1990, vol. 14 (10) p.62 (translation). Controversial in Australia, the painting was exhibited in her solo exhibition in Amsterdam where it featured in the Dutch art journal Kunstbeeld: "The work shows clearly Susan White's thinking about human rights. It should be mentioned here that she sometimes places her many faceted talent at the service of the struggle for human rights". Subsequently, ''The First Supper'' was exhibited in a solo show in Cologne, in the Munich
Volkshochschule Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and ...
and in other centres in Germany with media commenting "...in this portrayal Jesus is a woman, an Australian aboriginal. Her 'female disciples' are sitting to her right and left: women from all corners of the world..." and "...the image generates intense discussion". An American doctoral dissertation and a 1999 journal article analyse ''The First Supper'' as "a subversive postmodern ironic reading of Leonardo da Vinci's '' The Last Supper''". White's 2012 painting ''The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Freeman'' references Rembrandt's
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp ''The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp'' is a 1632 oil painting on canvas by Rembrandt housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. It was originally created to be displayed by the Surgeons Guild in their meeting room. The p ...
by setting it in a contemporary university laboratory with each of the onlookers rendered as an anatomical prosection and skeleton. The painting was first exhibited in a 'circuito off' curated group show ''Sapere Aude'' during the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.


Sculpture

White studied sculpture at the South Australian School of Art; subsequently she learned from Lyndon Dadswell at the National Art School in Sydney. She works in sandstone, marble, wood carving, bronze, and mixed-media assemblage. Her sculpture ''Companion for Brancusi's 'Young Man (see External links) was carved from Queensland maple in response to the sculpture '' Torso of a Young Man'' by
Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...
, also carved in maple. White's mixed-media assemblages incorporate fabrics with the carving of rare Huon pine salvaged from Tasmania. Following her solo show in New York in 1998, the Hechinger Collection acquired White's mixed media assemblage ''It Cuts Both Ways'', which was then displayed in a long-term exhibition at the National Building Museum. White exhibited bronzes in Geneva (1997) and Nice (2000), and mixed media assemblages in the Florence Biennale in 2001 and in a curated fringe exhibition during the
Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
in 2013. In 2005 the Buhl Collection (New York) commissioned a large bronze sculpture ''Stretching the Imagination''. White won first prize in the inside section of ''HarbourSculpture 2017'' (Sydney) with her work ''To Cut Both Ways'', a sculpture of chrome-plated bronze and scissors, which explores the theme that one's actions can have an equal effect on another, similar to the sculpture ''It Cuts Both Ways'' (above).


Printmaking and drawing

As a
printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...
, White has produced
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...
s, lithographs,
woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
s, and
linocut Linocut, also known as lino print, lino printing or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique, a variant of relief printing in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for a relief printing, relief surface. A design i ...
s since 1960. She prints her own work, with many early graphic works being pulled by hand using a wooden wringer. For example, the 1986 lithograph ''The Front Verandah'', which comments on the
Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
, incorporates plates for 15 colours. In its collection, the National Gallery of Australia holds 27 of the artist's prints produced between 1960 and 1996.http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/artist/7197/susan-dorothea-white.aspx?related=work National Gallery of Australia. ''Australian Prints, Drawings and Illustrated Books: WHITE, Susan Dorothea'' (Retrieved 12 December 2017). A catalogue of White's prints is published in ''The Printworld Directory''. White is a skilled draughtswoman and drawing is the foundation of her art. The media she uses for drawing include pen and ink, ballpoint, brush, crayon, chalk,
pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...
,
conté Conté (; ), also called the Conté stick or Conté crayon, is a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a clay base, square in cross-section. It was invented in 1795 by Nicolas-Jacques Conté, who crea ...
, and charcoal. From 2005, she has experimented with mixed-media techniques in
silverpoint Silverpoint (one of several types of metalpoint) is a traditional drawing technique and tool first used by medieval scribes on manuscripts. History A silverpoint drawing is made by dragging a silver rod or wire across a surface, often prepared ...
and goldpoint, as well as drawing over inkjet prints. Between 1982 and 1989 White taught drawing in community classes and at evening colleges. In 2000 she co-established anatomy drawing workshops at the
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
( School of Medical Sciences). She gives occasional lectures in Anatomy Art and has made many drawings from anatomical specimens, culminating in her large 2012 painting ''The Anatomy Lesson''.


Book

In 2005, White wrote and illustrated ''Draw Like da Vinci''. With over 150 images, the book explains seven fundamental drawing principles used by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as his tools and techniques such as
silverpoint Silverpoint (one of several types of metalpoint) is a traditional drawing technique and tool first used by medieval scribes on manuscripts. History A silverpoint drawing is made by dragging a silver rod or wire across a surface, often prepared ...
. She analyses Leonardo's artworks including '' The Last Supper'', '' Ginevra de' Benci'', '' The Virgin of the Rocks'' and reveals the skills behind them. Her comment on da Vinci's ''
Vitruvian Man The ''Vitruvian Man'' (; ) is a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to . Inspired by the writings of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, the drawing depicts a nude man in two superimposed positions ...
'' in ''Sex Change for Vitruvian Man'' raises "questions regarding the gender specific nature of existing studies on human proportion and bodily geometry in Western art". In 2007, the book was translated into French and published as ''Dessiner à la manière de Léonard da Vinci''. The book has also been translated into Danish (''Lær at tegne som Da Vinci'') and Hungarian (''Rajzoljunk úgy, mint Leonardo da Vinci''). Reviews of the English version have appeared on
about.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
and in ''Artists & Illustrators''.


Exhibitions

White began exhibiting in 1957 and held her first solo in 1962 (Broken Hill); significant solo shows include New York, Cologne, Amsterdam, Munich, Adelaide, Sydney. White has represented Australia in over 60 international biennales, triennales, etc. in US, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, Brazil, China, Hungary, Poland, Canada, Yugoslavia, US, and UK.McCulloch, Alan, McCulloch, Susan & McCulloch Childs, Emily (eds). ''The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art'', 2006, Melbourne: Aus Art Editions, p. 1020. She has also exhibited in group shows in Washington, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Berlin, Nice, New York, Amsterdam, and Geneva. Australian group exhibitions include the
Wynne Prize The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. As one of Australia's longest-running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne. Now held concurrently with the Sir John Sulman Prize ...
in 1973 (Nootambulla Gorge) and 1989 (Woman Oppressed), the Sulman Prize in 1976 (The Cup of Tea) and 1991/92 (The Seven Deadly Isms), the Portia Geach Memorial Award (1977: ''Damian White - Author''; 1978: ''Dr. Brian Freeman''; 1980: ''Autobiography''; 1982: ''Self Portrait with Children''; 1992: ''The Inspired Lecturer''; 1997: ''Me After Brain Surgery''; 2003 ''Go Granny, Go''), and the
Blake Prize The Blake Prize, formerly the Blake Prize for Religious Art, is an List of Australian art awards, Australian art prize awarded for art that explores spirituality. Since the inaugural prize in 1951, the prize was awarded annually from 1951 to 2 ...
in 1978 (''Noah's Rocket''), 1982 (''The Death of St. Francis of Australia''), and in 1988-89 ( The First Supper).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Susan Dorothea 1941 births Living people Feminist artists Australian feminist writers 20th-century Australian sculptors Australian printmakers Australian non-fiction writers Australian women painters Writers from Adelaide Australian women printmakers 21st-century Australian sculptors Julian Ashton Art School alumni 20th-century Australian women sculptors 21st-century Australian women sculptors