MARIAN ELLIS ROWAN August - September 2021 - online exhibition - Lauraine Diggins Fine Art
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
MARIAN ELLIS ROWAN
August - September 2021
online exhibition
LAURAINEDIGGINSFINEART
M arian Ellis Rowan
(1848 - 1922) was a
remarkable woman,
inspired by the flora and fauna
which became standards for
botany students (A Guide to the
Wildflowers 1899; A Guide to the
Trees, 1900; Southern Wildflowers
of the world to create her elegant and Trees, 1901).
artworks. The delicacy of her
paintings and fragility of her Ellis Rowan blurred the lines
materials, predominately between fine art and natural
watercolour and gouache on history illustration with artworks
paper, belie the challenging characterised not only by their
conditions she travelled to detailed accuracy but also her
capture her subject, usually own compositional charm and
painted in situ and from life – touches of dramatic interest,
including the rainforests of such as the inclusion of insects.
Queensland; wildflowers in Although her work was used to
remote Western Australia; identify many new species, she
tropical Papua New Guinea; did not paint flowers like a
mountains of New Zealand; the botanical specimen, dried and
foothills of the Himalayas; a pressed to the page to carefully
decade long trip to England record details of leaves, petals,
where her work was collected by stamens. Earlier examples were
Queen Victoria; and America often painted on coloured paper
where she collaborated on texts with the flowers arranged
The Sheltered Nest
watercolour and gouache on paper
52.5 x 27 cm
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
(Tree Fungi) Fungi
watercolour on silk watercolour on silk
19 cm diam. 19 cm diam.
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Western Australian Wildflowers
watercolour and gouache on paper
14.5 x 35.5 cm
like a posy, usually in the middle of Ellis Rowan was certainly much fellow male artists who deemed her
the picture, whilst later works recognised and feted in her time, a mere female flower painter.
incorporated more narrative holding solo exhibitions since 1893 Despite the gender bias of the times,
elements, citing the plant in a and winning numerous awards. She in 1893 The Australian Club in
setting, perhaps cloudy skies or won her first bronze medal in 1872 Melbourne commissioned her to
drizzling rain or sometimes even a at the Intercolonial Exhibition in complete a series of large murals,
background landscape. This extends Melbourne. Other accolades include which can still be admired today in
to her imagery of birds where they the gold medal at the World the Ellis Rowan Room.
are carefully positioned amongst Columbian Exhibition in Chicago,
branches and foliage. The later 1893; the gold medal at the opening Certainly flower studies were
works tend to fill the paper – of the Exhibition Buildings in considered an appropriate subject
sometimes with hanging or Melbourne, 1880; gold at the for a female painter in the late
drooping leaves, or growing and International Exhibition, Melbourne nineteenth century. The fact that
reaching up, showing a greater in 1888 and gold at the Adelaide Ellis Rowan looked for botanical
compositional concern rather than Jubilee Exhibition the same year; the accuracy and diversity, subsequently
botanical identification. There is also silver medal at the International and pursuing this at an international
her tendency to sprinkle narrative Intercolonial Exhibition, Sydney, level was, although not unique, quite
touches such as butterflies, 1879; and international recognition rare. The English artist Marianne
caterpillars, beetles and other bugs, in India, Europe and America, North was another such artist who
adding more life, colour, movement including medals in exhibitions in likely inspired and influenced
and giving a sense of scale. Calcutta; Amsterdam; St Petersburg; Rowan, after they first met in 1880.
Denmark. Her achievements were
The botanical nature of much of sometimes surrounded by However, Ellis Rowan has perhaps
Ellis Rowan’s oeuvre has perhaps controversy, mired in the outcries of not been given her due in the canon
been a factor in her being somewhat
sidelined in art history, consigned to
the realm of science rather than art. (Alpinia Zerumbet with Butterflies)
watercolour and gouache on paper
However, the individual way she 41 x 22.5 cm
painted wildflowers with a signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
compositional focus, not only in the
placement of a specimen but the
inclusion of other narrative details
and her use of bold colour reveal a
strong artistic flair, one that she
developed over many decades of her
successful career.
Curl Crested Manucode
watercolour and gouache on paper
23 cm diam.
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Palm Cockatoo
watercolour and gouache on paper
23 cm diam.
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Ellis Rowan’s oeuvre and interests
Petrea Volybilis Trop America Verbanaceae and are indicative of her travels and
watercolour and gouache on paper her stylistic developments.
57 x 38 cm
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan (Blue Flowers, possibly Scaevola
Basedowii) is indicative of her earlier
work on coloured paper with the
of Australian art history until more Guilfoyle and government botanist flowers more centrally placed. The
recent rethinking over the past few Ferdinand Mueller advised on spidery network of branches
decades, which has seen a general plantings. As Director of the Royal juxtaposed with the delicate small
increase in the status of women Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, von blue flowers. The Sheltered Nest
artists overall. There was sufficient Mueller encouraged Ellis Rowan to shows a narrative development, with
interest in Ellis Rowan in her time submit her artworks for the viewer captivated by the baby
for her to publish an autobiography, identification, recording many exotic birds peering through the curtain of
when only half-way through her species. He also provided her with rain, teardrops of water surrounding
remarkable career, A Flower Hunter useful contacts, particularly their protected nest. The flora here
in Queensland and New Zealand, 1898. internationally. Her husband, seeming to provide merely a
Margaret Hazzard’s 1982 biography Captain Frederic Charles Rowan backdrop for the story of the small
Flower Paintings of Ellis Rowan did also encouraged her artistic career, creatures hiding in the dark against
much to reignite interest, as did following their marriage in 1873 and the highlighted leaves and berries.
Patricia Fullerton’s exhibition his travels allowed her to Contrast this with the vivid colour
showcasing the holdings at the accompany him and continue her and lush tropical feel of (Hanging
National Library of Australia in pursuit of depicting wildflowers. Flowers) and (Alpinia Zerumbet with
2002 with the accompanying After his premature death in 1892, Butterflies). Petrea Volybilis Trop
illustrated catalogue, The Flower Ellis Rowan was able to renew her America Verbanaceae is sometimes
Hunter Ellis Rowan. travels with a greater freedom, known as the tropical wisteria, or
spending time in New Zealand; Queens or Purple Wreath, and is
Although Ellis Rowan is known for London; New York; California; native to Central America and
her extensive global travel, she was Cuba; the Caribbean; Papua New Mexico.
particularly inspired by the gardens Guinea; Queensland; Kalgoorlie;
of her youth at Mount Macedon Broken Hill; the Grampians. Moving to what can be better
when her father acquired Derriweit described as a landscape rather than
Heights in 1872 : 26 acres with The selection of artworks in this a flower painting, Western Australian
garden layout designed by W. R. exhibition provide a glimpse across Wildflowers shows a carpet of vivid
Bird of Paradise
watercolour and gouache on paper
22.5 cm diam.
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Great Pitta Bird
watercolour and gouache on paper (Hanging Flowers)
23 cm diam. watercolour and gouache on paper
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan 40.5 x 21 cm
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
wildflowers set in the bush Also included are a series of bird Melbourne featuring her works
landscape showing her passion for paintings. These date from her from Papua New Guinea, including
capturing the beauty of Western travels to Papua New Guinea in 172 flowers, 40 birds of paradise, 72
Australian wildflower season which 1916-17 where she attempted to fungi, 2 coral, a bat, a squirrel and a
may date from her travels in 1906 to illustrate every bird of paradise, fish. It was noted that “The artist is
areas including Kalgoorlie, Laverton which at the time numbered over proud of her mushroom collection,
and Goongarrie, or from earlier 50 species. The fact that they are only one of her specimens being
travels to Albany in 1880. round in shape likely is a result of known to science.” (The Sun, 13
her commission from the Royal March 1918 as cited in Fullerton, P.
The painting of Mt Cook in New Worcester Porcelain Company in The Flower Hunter Ellis Rowan,
Zealand dates from 1893 when Ellis England, following her foray into National Library of Australia, 2002,
Rowan undertook a series of black painted china for the Flavelle p.14)
and white landscapes, which were Brothers in Sydney.
reproduced in The Town and Country The last exhibition in her lifetime
Journal in December 1893, along In 1918 Ellis Rowan held an was at Anthony Hordern’s in
with an account of her trip. exhibition at the Fine Art Society Sydney in 1920 where there was a
concerted push for the nation to
acquire her collection. This
celebrated and prolific artist with
her reputation for painting
wildflowers is represented in many
public collections including
significant holdings at the National
Library of Australia and the
Queensland Museum; as well as the
National Gallery of Australia; the
National Gallery of Victoria; the Art
Gallery of New South Wales;
Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of
Modern Art; the Art Gallery of
Western Australia; the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Adelaide; the
National Herbarium, Melbourne;
the National Trust of Australia; the
Museum of Applied Arts and
Sciences.
Ruth Lovell
With thanks to the staff at the
National Herbarium, Melbourne for
their expert advice regarding
identification of selected artworks.
Mt Cook from Governors Bush New Zealand
Little Corella watercolour and gouache on paper
watercolour and gouache on paper 42.5 x 27.5 cm
6.5 cm diam. signed lower left: ER
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Eclectus Parrot (Female) Eclectus Parrot (Male)
watercolour and gouache on paper watercolour and gouache on paper
22.5 cm diam. 22.5 cm diam.
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
(Blue Flowers, possibly Scaevola Basedowii)
watercolour and gouache on paper
53 x 36 cm
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
COVER:
(Hanging Flowers) detail
gouache on paper
40.5 x 21 cm
signed lower left: Ellis Rowan
Essay: Ruth Lovell
Catalogue design & photography:
Nerida Blanche
LAURAINE DIGGINS FINE ART
Founder: The Late Lauraine Diggins OAM
Director: Michael Blanche
Director: Nerida Blanche
Gallery Manager: Ruth Lovell
LAURAINE ! DIGGINS ! FINE ! ART
Boonwurrung Country Tel: +61 3 9509 9855 Gallery & Exhibition Hours:
5 Malakoff Street Email: ausart@diggins.com.au Tues – Friday 10 am – 6 pm
North Caulfield VIC 3161 Web: diggins.com.au other hours by appointment
You can also read
