Clara Southern (3 October 1860 – 15 December 1940) was an Australian artist associated with the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. She was active between the years 1883 and her death in 1940.[1] Physically, Southern was tall with reddish fair hair, and was nicknamed 'Panther' because of her lithe beauty.[2]
By 1908 she had established an artistic community of younger landscape painters at Warrandyte, a township on the Yarra about 30 kilometres from Melbourne. The community included Penleigh Boyd and Harold Herbert. Her teacher and mentor Walter Withers often visited her in Warrandyte to paint the landscape.[4] Her residence at cottage 'Blythe Bank' in Warrandyte was integral to the development of the artistic community there, with regular visits from the McCubbins and Colquhouns, and Jo Sweatman becoming her neighbour at 'Kipsy.'[5] Many of her works capture the spirit of the area, such as 'Evensong' and 'A Cool Corner', and she encouraged many a young artist to visit her studio there.[5] At one point she was regarded as the eminent female landscape artist in Melbourne.[7]
On 9 November 1905, Southern married local miner John Arthur Flinn at St. John's Anglican Church in Blackburn. Together they built a cottage, and later a studio, at Blythe Bank, Warrandyte.[2][8] Even after her marriage, Southern continued to exhibit under her own name.
An Old Bee Farm, held by the National Gallery of Victoria is one of her better known works. It was one of 56 paintings included in Lloyd O'Neil's Classic Australian Paintings, and was used as the cover illustration for Kay Schaffer's 1988 book Women and the Bush: Forces of Desire in the Australian Cultural Tradition.
Clara was also supportive of charity and relief efforts, supporting Violet Teague and her sister Una in an exhibition for the Hermannsburg Mission Water Supply in Central Australia.[6] Bushfires were a devastating risk in her township of Warrandyte, and she contributed to the Artists' Bushfire Relief Fund Exhibition.[6] Unfortunately some time after she passed her beloved cottage 'Blythe Bank' was lost to bushfires.[6]
Miss Clara Southern (Mrs J. Flinn) is a sweet and original singer of the Australian bush in colour, which, by the most skilful use of her pigments, she realises in all its beauty and charm, its majestic silences, its harmonies, and those mysterious distances we all know and feel when in its midst. We can almost hear the wind sighing and sobbing through her trees and that furtive movement of life beneath the beautiful undergrowth that trembles in her foregrounds. Her landscapes are truly poems, full of sentiment and feeling, and that artistic reticence so seldom met with, which never allows nature to be for one moment oppressed or overstepped, or the note forced under any pretence.-'A Lyrical Painter',Kyneton Guardian, 14 March 1914[9]
Southern died in Melbourne on 15 December 1940.[3]
Southern Close in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm is named in her honour.[10]
^"Clara Southern :: biography at :: at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
^ abDuke, Anne. "Southern, Clara (1860–1940)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
^ abcDuke, Anne. Southern, Clara (1860–1940). Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
^ abc"Warrandyte a heritage steeped in art" (PDF). Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale. 2018. (PDF) from the original on 18 March 2018.
^ abcde"Artist's Footsteps". www.artistsfootsteps.com. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
^ abcd"Blog Post – The Victorian Artists Society". victorianartistssociety.com.au. from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
^"Marriage Certificate". Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
^"A LYRICAL PAINTER". Kyneton Guardian (Vic. : 1870–1880; 1914–1918). 14 March 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
^"Schedule 'B' National Memorials Ordinance 1928–1972 Street Nomenclature List of Additional Names with Reference to Origin: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National: 1977–2012) – 8 Feb 1978". Trove. p. 14. Retrieved 2 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ab"Clara Southern b. 3 October 1860". Design & Art Australia Online. 13 April 2017. from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
External links
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clara, southern, october, 1860, december, 1940, australian, artist, associated, with, heidelberg, school, also, known, australian, impressionism, active, between, years, 1883, death, 1940, physically, southern, tall, with, reddish, fair, hair, nicknamed, panth. Clara Southern 3 October 1860 15 December 1940 was an Australian artist associated with the Heidelberg School also known as Australian Impressionism She was active between the years 1883 and her death in 1940 1 Physically Southern was tall with reddish fair hair and was nicknamed Panther because of her lithe beauty 2 Clara SouthernBorn 1860 10 03 3 October 1860Kyneton Victoria AustraliaDied15 December 1940 1940 12 15 aged 80 Melbourne Victoria AustraliaNationalityAustralianEducationNational Gallery of Victoria Art SchoolKnown forPaintingSpouseJohn Arthur Flinn m 1905 wbr Contents 1 Biography 2 Selected works 3 Exhibitions 4 References 5 External linksBiography Edit The artist painting at her home in Warrandyte Southern was born in Kyneton Victoria in 1860 3 the eldest of six children 4 She was the daughter of local timber merchant and farmer John Southern and Jane Elliott 5 Southern studied at the School of Design National Gallery of Victoria under Oswald Rose Campbell 5 and at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School under George Folingsby and Frederick McCubbin When in Melbourne she shared a studio at Grosvenor Chambers 9 Collins Street with Jane Sutherland and Tom Roberts 4 from 1888 She taught art classes from her studio and regularly joined her Heidelberg School colleagues on plein air painting trips to Heidelberg and Eaglemont 6 By 1908 she had established an artistic community of younger landscape painters at Warrandyte a township on the Yarra about 30 kilometres from Melbourne The community included Penleigh Boyd and Harold Herbert Her teacher and mentor Walter Withers often visited her in Warrandyte to paint the landscape 4 Her residence at cottage Blythe Bank in Warrandyte was integral to the development of the artistic community there with regular visits from the McCubbins and Colquhouns and Jo Sweatman becoming her neighbour at Kipsy 5 Many of her works capture the spirit of the area such as Evensong and A Cool Corner and she encouraged many a young artist to visit her studio there 5 At one point she was regarded as the eminent female landscape artist in Melbourne 7 On 9 November 1905 Southern married local miner John Arthur Flinn at St John s Anglican Church in Blackburn Together they built a cottage and later a studio at Blythe Bank Warrandyte 2 8 Even after her marriage Southern continued to exhibit under her own name An Old Bee Farm held by the National Gallery of Victoria is one of her better known works It was one of 56 paintings included in Lloyd O Neil s Classic Australian Paintings and was used as the cover illustration for Kay Schaffer s 1988 book Women and the Bush Forces of Desire in the Australian Cultural Tradition Southern was a member of the Victorian Artists Society the Australian Art Association the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors the Twenty Melbourne Painters and the Lyceum Club 3 Paving the way for women s involvement in the arts Southern was one of the first women to be elected to the Buonarotti Society and the first female member of the Australian Artists Association 5 Clara was also supportive of charity and relief efforts supporting Violet Teague and her sister Una in an exhibition for the Hermannsburg Mission Water Supply in Central Australia 6 Bushfires were a devastating risk in her township of Warrandyte and she contributed to the Artists Bushfire Relief Fund Exhibition 6 Unfortunately some time after she passed her beloved cottage Blythe Bank was lost to bushfires 6 Miss Clara Southern Mrs J Flinn is a sweet and original singer of the Australian bush in colour which by the most skilful use of her pigments she realises in all its beauty and charm its majestic silences its harmonies and those mysterious distances we all know and feel when in its midst We can almost hear the wind sighing and sobbing through her trees and that furtive movement of life beneath the beautiful undergrowth that trembles in her foregrounds Her landscapes are truly poems full of sentiment and feeling and that artistic reticence so seldom met with which never allows nature to be for one moment oppressed or overstepped or the note forced under any pretence A Lyrical Painter Kyneton Guardian 14 March 1914 9 Southern died in Melbourne on 15 December 1940 3 Southern Close in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm is named in her honour 10 Selected works EditOil paintings by Clara Southern The Back of the Barn Private collection The Yarra at Warrandyte Private collection The Kitchen Private collection Old Bee Farm National Gallery of Victoria A Cool Corner Art Gallery of Ballarat The Road to Warrandyte Private collection Evensong National Gallery of Victoria The old shed National Gallery of Australia Landscape with Cottage Private collection Bush Camp Private collection The artist s home Benalla Art GalleryExhibitions Edit1899 1917 Victorian Artists Society 1907 First Australian Women s Work Exhibition 1914 1917 1919 Australian Art Association Exhibition 1934 Exhibition in aid of the Hermannsburg Water Supply in Central Australia 11 Posthumously 1975 Australian Women Artists One Hundred Years 1840 1940 Melbourne University Ewing and George Paton Gallery 1995 A l hombre des jeunes filles et des fleurs In the shadow of young girls and flowers Benalla Art Gallery 2011 2012 Look Look Again Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery University of Western Australia 11 References Edit Clara Southern biography at at Design and Art Australia Online www daao org au Retrieved 17 March 2018 a b Duke Anne Southern Clara 1860 1940 Australian Dictionary of Biography Canberra National Centre of Biography Australian National University a b c Duke Anne Southern Clara 1860 1940 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography Australian National University Retrieved 31 March 2018 a b c Warrandyte a heritage steeped in art PDF Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale 2018 Archived PDF from the original on 18 March 2018 a b c d e Artist s Footsteps www artistsfootsteps com Retrieved 14 September 2020 a b c d Blog Post The Victorian Artists Society victorianartistssociety com au Archived from the original on 5 March 2021 Retrieved 15 September 2020 Artists Warrandyte Warrrandyte Historical Society Warrandyte Historical Society Retrieved 14 September 2020 Marriage Certificate Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Retrieved 17 February 2018 A LYRICAL PAINTER Kyneton Guardian Vic 1870 1880 1914 1918 14 March 1914 p 2 Retrieved 15 September 2020 Schedule B National Memorials Ordinance 1928 1972 Street Nomenclature List of Additional Names with Reference to Origin Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Special National 1977 2012 8 Feb 1978 Trove p 14 Retrieved 2 April 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Clara Southern b 3 October 1860 Design amp Art Australia Online 13 April 2017 Archived from the original on 20 August 2019 Retrieved 15 September 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clara Southern Online Gallery of Southern s works Serle Percival 1949 Southern Clara Dictionary of Australian Biography Sydney Angus and Robertson Women of the Heidelberg School by Andrew MacKenzie sponsored by the Victorian Government Clara Southern Australian art and artists file State Library Victoria Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Clara Southern amp oldid 1123726547, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
