Dorrit Black
Deborah and I spent a short time in Adelaide recently and one of the main reasons we went there was to see an exhibition of paintings, prints and drawings by Dorrit Black at the Art Gallery of South Australia, and it was fantastic work. She was one of the first Australian artists to embrace Moderism and her main centres of study were Sydney, where she was interested in late Impressionism, and a little later on in Europe where she embraced a more stylised and geometric form of Moderism. She returned to Australia determined to introduce modernism into our culture and was a strong influence on the Sydney art scene where she formed the Modern Art Centre, becoming the first woman in Australia to run an art gallery. She eventually settled in Adelaide where she not only worked on her art but had a number of students as well. There is a superb catalogue of the exhibition published by the Art Gallery of South Australia and researched and written by Tracy Lock-Weir and Elle Freak. Here are a few examples of her work, but it is worth while to explore further to appreciate the art of Dorrit Black. Just google Dorrit Black artist to view more images and HERE to find out more about her biographical details.
Mirmande, 1928, oil on canvas, 71.5 x 85.7 cm
The Bridge, 1930, oil on canvas board, 75 x 96.5 cm
The Olive Plantation, 1946, oil on canvas, 77 x 100.5 cm
The Double Basses, 1950, oil on canvas, 61 x 40.5 cm
Coast Road, 1942, oil on composition board, 45.5 x 55 cm
Music, 1927-28, colour linocut, 24.1 x 21.2 cm
