CONSTANCE STOKES (1906-1991) (Interior) 1931 oil on composition board 35.5 x 25.5cm

CONSTANCE STOKES (1906-1991)
(Interior) 1931
oil on composition board
signed twice and dated lower right: C PARKIN/ C Parkin 31
35.5 x 25.5cm

PROVENANCE:
(Possibly) Decoration Gallery, Melbourne
The Estate of Sybil Craig
The Collection of Peter and John Perry
Private collection, Melbourne

EXHIBITIONS:
(Possibly) Exhibition of Paintings by Constance Parkin, Decoration Gallery, Melbourne, 24 October - 4 November 1933, cat. no. 17 ("Interior")

LITERATURE:
(Possibly) 'Constance Parkin's Work,' Argus, Melbourne, 24 October 1933, p.9

OTHER NOTES:
Numerous 20th-century female artists received limited attention during their lifetimes, only to have their artworks discovered and acclaimed after their death. Constance Stokes diverges from this pattern, as she stood among Australia's most highly regarded artists in her own lifetime, even though her work has since faded into relative anonymity.

Initially training at the National Gallery School in Melbourne, Constance Stokes was awarded the highly prestigious Travelling Scholarship, which took her to London from 1930 - 1933. She studied at the Royal Academy of Arts under William Mornington, in where she furthered her traditional training of painting. In the summer of 1931, Constance travelled to France to study at the Académie Lhote, under the cubist artist Andre Lhote. Later, she professed that this experience had acted as a revelation, opening her eyes to the significance of colour in painting. However, this newfound recognition appeared to conflict with her deep affection for classical forms that was practiced during her time in London.

Returning to Melbourne in 1933 with an abundance of paintings and drawings, along with a progression of her artistic talent, she began preparations for her first solo exhibition of 48 works at Decoration Gallery on Little Collins Street. Even though the show was held at the height of the Great Depression, the exhibition was a major success, attended by many of Melbourne's leading art figures, including senior artists, George Bell and W.B McInnes, along with the artist's fellow contemporaries, James Flett and Sybil Craig. A review in the Age on October 24th expressed the celebrated talent of the artist "Miss Parkin has strayed from her gallery training into that misty mid-region of the modernist, where the canons of normal definition no longer hold good, and in this, she is without question moved by a spirit of sincere conviction, her work as here shown, is such as to awaken doubts in the normally-minded as to how far she is the gainer by the change of fronts." Another review in the Argus stated "No. 17. "Interior" a room in London is an interesting impression."

The interior reflects the on the traditional training that she formed whilst in Melbourne and London, based around the principle of painting in layers, the use of tone, and the variation of light and dark to render form. She has used a subdued and typically traditional colour palette depicting an interior scene, out casting to a view of the unknown city. This painting deranges from The Estate of Sybil Craig and is unknown if it was purchased from the exhibition or simply a gift to her close friend.

Whilst balancing the challenges of motherhood and her love for art, in 1940 Constance was in regular attendance to George Bell's 'Thursday Nights' for life drawing and was a member of the 'George Bell Group', however was never a student of his as Bell refused to teach her on the grounds that she had enough artistic talent. It was here that Constance progressed and employed her studies from Andre Lhote, exploring the position of colour, pattern and simple shape.

1, The Age, 24 October 1933, p. 11 'Miss Parkin's Point of View', accessed 27 August 2023, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205113942

2, The Argus, 24 October 1933, p. 9 'Constance Parkin's Work', accessed 27 August 2023, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11704263

Provenance: (Possibly) Decoration Gallery, Melbourne
The Estate of Sybil Craig
The Collection of Peter and John Perry
Private collection, Melbourne Dimensions: 35.5 x 25.5cm Artist Name: CONSTANCE STOKES (1906-1991) Exhibited: (Possibly) Exhibition of Paintings by Constance Parkin, Decoration Gallery, Melbourne, 24 October - 4 November 1933, cat. no. 17 ("Interior") Literature: (Possibly) 'Constance Parkin's Work,' Argus, Melbourne, 24 October 1933, p.9 Medium: oil on composition board Notes: Numerous 20th-century female artists received limited attention during their lifetimes, only to have their artworks discovered and acclaimed after their death. Constance Stokes diverges from this pattern, as she stood among Australia's most highly regarded artists in her own lifetime, even though her work has since faded into relative anonymity.

Initially training at the National Gallery School in Melbourne, Constance Stokes was awarded the highly prestigious Travelling Scholarship, which took her to London from 1930 - 1933. She studied at the Royal Academy of Arts under William Mornington, in where she furthered her traditional training of painting. In the summer of 1931, Constance travelled to France to study at the Académie Lhote, under the cubist artist Andre Lhote. Later, she professed that this experience had acted as a revelation, opening her eyes to the significance of colour in painting. However, this newfound recognition appeared to conflict with her deep affection for classical forms that was practiced during her time in London.

Returning to Melbourne in 1933 with an abundance of paintings and drawings, along with a progression of her artistic talent, she began preparations for her first solo exhibition of 48 works at Decoration Gallery on Little Collins Street. Even though the show was held at the height of the Great Depression, the exhibition was a major success, attended by many of Melbourne's leading art figures, including senior artists, George Bell and W.B McInnes, along with the artist's fellow contemporaries, James Flett and Sybil Craig. A review in the Age on October 24th expressed the celebrated talent of the artist "Miss Parkin has strayed from her gallery training into that misty mid-region of the modernist, where the canons of normal definition no longer hold good, and in this, she is without question moved by a spirit of sincere conviction, her work as here shown, is such as to awaken doubts in the normally-minded as to how far she is the gainer by the change of fronts." Another review in the Argus stated "No. 17. "Interior" a room in London is an interesting impression."

The interior reflects the on the traditional training that she formed whilst in Melbourne and London, based around the principle of painting in layers, the use of tone, and the variation of light and dark to render form. She has used a subdued and typically traditional colour palette depicting an interior scene, out casting to a view of the unknown city. This painting deranges from The Estate of Sybil Craig and is unknown if it was purchased from the exhibition or simply a gift to her close friend.

Whilst balancing the challenges of motherhood and her love for art, in 1940 Constance was in regular attendance to George Bell's 'Thursday Nights' for life drawing and was a member of the 'George Bell Group', however was never a student of his as Bell refused to teach her on the grounds that she had enough artistic talent. It was here that Constance progressed and employed her studies from Andre Lhote, exploring the position of colour, pattern and simple shape.

1, The Age, 24 October 1933, p. 11 'Miss Parkin's Point of View', accessed 27 August 2023, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205113942

2, The Argus, 24 October 1933, p. 9 'Constance Parkin's Work', accessed 27 August 2023, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11704263