Love and Friendship: George Lambert and Thea Proctor · George Lambert. Across the black soil...
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Diploma Lecture Series 2011 Art and Australia ll: European Preludes and Parallels Love and Friendship: George Lambert and Thea Proctor Christopher Allen 16/17 February 2011 Lecture summary: George Lambert (1873-1930) and Thea Proctor (1879-1966) are two artists whose work is so different – Lambert producing ambitious oil paintings and Proctor drawings, watercolours and prints – that one would hardly think of discussing them in the same breath, and yet whose lives are so closely entwined that it is impossible to consider them separately. They met at Julian Ashton’s art school before Lambert won the NSW Travelling Scholarship and set off for London in 1900 with his new wife Amy. They were reunited when Proctor also came to London in 1903, becoming for some years almost a member of the family. George Lambert’s most important paintings from this period, all based on the members of his family, often include Thea as well as Amy and his two sons, Maurice (born in 1901) and Constant (born in 1905); they are almost always enigmatic until one understands who the characters are, although the nature of the relationships involved still remains obscure. This intimacy was interrupted when Thea returned to Australia in 1912-14, and George became a war artist. After the war they both returned to Australia in 1921 – leaving Amy and the children in London – where they became important figures in the Sydney art world. After George’s premature death in 1930, Thea continued to teach and paint, gradually slipping into obscurity as tastes changed and the important figures of the interwar years disappeared. Slide list: 1. George Lambert. Self-portrait, c. 1894. Pen and black ink, 31.8 x 19.2 cm. Private collection. 2. George Lambert. A Bush Idyll, c. 1896. Oil on canvas, 48 x 78 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 3. George Lambert. Sheoak Sam, c. 1898. Oil on wood panel, 29 x 21 cm. Private collection. * 4. George Lambert. Across the black soil plains, 1899. Oil on canvas, 91.6 x 305.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 5. George Lambert. Hugh Ramsay in London, 1901. Ink, wash, 25.9 x 32.6 cm. Canberra, NGA. 6. George Lambert. Hugh Ramsay, c. 1901. Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 7. George Lambert. A Model resting, 1901. Oil on canvas, 37.2 x 60.8 cm. Brisbane, QAG. 8. George Lambert. La Blanchisseuse, 1901. Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 160.6 cm. Private collection. 9. George Lambert. Self-portrait with Ambrose Patterson, Amy Lambert, Hugh Ramsay and Arthur Adams, c. 1901-03. Oil on canvas 51.5 x 177 cm. Brisbane, QAG. * 10. George Lambert. Miss Thea Proctor, 1903. Oil on canvas, 91.5 x 71 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 11. George Lambert. Portrait of Thea Proctor, 1905. Charcoal, 36 x 25.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 12. George Lambert. The Simpler life (study of Thea Proctor), 1905. Pencil, 25.8 x 28.6 cm. Brisbane, QAG. 13. George Lambert. Equestrian portrait of a boy, 1905. Oil on canvas, 127.7 x 101.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW. 14. George Lambert. Self-portrait, 1906. Oil on canvas, 46.3 x 38.2 cm. Melbourne, NGV. 15. George Lambert. Lotty and a lady, 1906. Oil on canvas, 103 x 128.3. Melbourne, NGV. 16. George Lambert. The Holiday group, 1907 (The Bathers). Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 78.7 cm. Adelaide, AGSA. * 17. George Lambert. Portrait Group (The Mother), 1907. Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 162.5 cm. Brisbane, QAG. 18. George Lambert. Self-portrait, c. 1907. Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 71.3 cm. Brisbane, QAG. 19. George Lambert. The Sonnet, c. 1907. Oil on canvas, 113.3 x 177.4 cm. Canberra, NGA. 20. George Lambert. Portrait group, 1908. Oil on canvas, 184 x 184 cm. Canberra, NGA. 21. Thea Proctor. The Song, 1909. Watercolour on cardboard. Canberra, NGA. 22. George Lambert. The Shop, 1909. Oil on canvas, 71 x 91.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
Transcript of Love and Friendship: George Lambert and Thea Proctor · George Lambert. Across the black soil...
Diploma Lecture Series 2011 Art and Australia ll: European Preludes and Parallels
Love and Friendship: George Lambert and Thea Proctor
Christopher Allen
16/17 February 2011
Lecture summary: George Lambert (1873-1930) and Thea Proctor (1879-1966) are two artists whose work is so different – Lambert producing ambitious oil paintings and Proctor drawings, watercolours and prints – that one would hardly think of discussing them in the same breath, and yet whose lives are so closely entwined that it is impossible to consider them separately. They met at Julian Ashton’s art school before Lambert won the NSW Travelling Scholarship and set off for London in 1900 with his new wife Amy. They were reunited when Proctor also came to London in 1903, becoming for some years almost a member of the family. George Lambert’s most important paintings from this period, all based on the members of his family, often include Thea as well as Amy and his two sons, Maurice (born in 1901) and Constant (born in 1905); they are almost always enigmatic until one understands who the characters are, although the nature of the relationships involved still remains obscure. This intimacy was interrupted when Thea returned to Australia in 1912-14, and George became a war artist. After the war they both returned to Australia in 1921 – leaving Amy and the children in London – where they became important figures in the Sydney art world. After George’s premature death in 1930, Thea continued to teach and paint, gradually slipping into obscurity as tastes changed and the important figures of the interwar years disappeared.
Slide list:
1. George Lambert. Self-portrait, c. 1894. Pen and black ink, 31.8 x 19.2 cm. Private collection.
2. George Lambert. A Bush Idyll, c. 1896. Oil on canvas, 48 x 78 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
3. George Lambert. Sheoak Sam, c. 1898. Oil on wood panel, 29 x 21 cm. Private collection.
* 4. George Lambert. Across the black soil plains, 1899. Oil on canvas, 91.6 x 305.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
5. George Lambert. Hugh Ramsay in London, 1901. Ink, wash, 25.9 x 32.6 cm. Canberra, NGA.
6. George Lambert. Hugh Ramsay, c. 1901. Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
7. George Lambert. A Model resting, 1901. Oil on canvas, 37.2 x 60.8 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
8. George Lambert. La Blanchisseuse, 1901. Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 160.6 cm. Private collection.
9. George Lambert. Self-portrait with Ambrose Patterson, Amy Lambert, Hugh Ramsay and Arthur Adams, c. 1901-03. Oil on canvas 51.5 x 177 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
* 10. George Lambert. Miss Thea Proctor, 1903. Oil on canvas, 91.5 x 71 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
11. George Lambert. Portrait of Thea Proctor, 1905. Charcoal, 36 x 25.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
12. George Lambert. The Simpler life (study of Thea Proctor), 1905. Pencil, 25.8 x 28.6 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
13. George Lambert. Equestrian portrait of a boy, 1905. Oil on canvas, 127.7 x 101.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
14. George Lambert. Self-portrait, 1906. Oil on canvas, 46.3 x 38.2 cm. Melbourne, NGV.
15. George Lambert. Lotty and a lady, 1906. Oil on canvas, 103 x 128.3. Melbourne, NGV.
16. George Lambert. The Holiday group, 1907 (The Bathers). Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 78.7 cm. Adelaide, AGSA.
* 17. George Lambert. Portrait Group (The Mother), 1907. Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 162.5 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
18. George Lambert. Self-portrait, c. 1907. Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 71.3 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
19. George Lambert. The Sonnet, c. 1907. Oil on canvas, 113.3 x 177.4 cm. Canberra, NGA.
20. George Lambert. Portrait group, 1908. Oil on canvas, 184 x 184 cm. Canberra, NGA.
21. Thea Proctor. The Song, 1909. Watercolour on cardboard. Canberra, NGA.
22. George Lambert. The Shop, 1909. Oil on canvas, 71 x 91.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
23. George Lambert, Holiday in Essex, c. 1910. Oil on canvas, 183.8 x 230.6 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
24. George Lambert. Chesham Street, 1910. Oil on canvas, 62 x 51.5 cm. Canberra, NGA.
25. George Lambert. Pan is dead, 1911. Oil on canvas, 76.5 x 63.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
* 26. George Lambert. Important people, c. 1914-15 (1921). Oil on canvas, 134.7 x 170.3 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
27. George Lambert. The Smile of Pan, 1915. Oil on wood panel, 59.1 x 49.4 cm. Adelaide, AGSA.
28. George Lambert. Portrait of a lady, 1916. [Thea Proctor]. Oil on canvas, 45.8 x 38.1 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
* 29. George Lambert. Anzacs bathing, 1916. Oil on canvas, 26.3 x 36 cm. Mildura Arts Centre.
30. George Lambert. The Convex mirror, c. 1916. Oil on wood, 50 cm diameter. Private collection.
31. George Lambert. The Charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba, 31 October 1917, 1920. Oil on canvas, 122.7 x 247.1 cm. Canberra, Australian War Memorial.
32. George Lambert. The Half-back, 1920. [Portrait of Maurice Lambert aged 18]. Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 61 cm. Adelaide, AGSA.
* 33. George Lambert. A Sergeant of the Light Horse, 1920. Oil on canvas, 77 x 62 cm. Melbourne, NGV.
34. George Lambert. The official artist, 1921. Oil on canvas, 91.7 x 71.5 cm. Melbourne, NGV.
35. Thea Proctor. Self-portrait, 1921. Lithograph, 33.4 x 26.4 cm. Canberra, NGA.
* 36. George Lambert. Weighing the fleece, 1921. Oil on canvas, 71.7 x 91.8 cm. Canberra, NGA.
37. George Lambert. The Garden at St Luke’s Hospital, Potts Point, c. 1922. Oil on canvas, 41 x 51 cm. Bennal, Art Gallery.
38. George Lambert. The Squatter’s daughter, 1923-24. Oil on canvas 61.4 x 90.2 cm. Canberra, NGA.
39. George Lambert. Hera, 1924. Oil on canvas, 127.8 x 102.5 cm. Melbourne, NGV.
40. George Lambert. The Artist and the Geelong memorial figure, c. 1924. Oil on plywood, 46.3 x 29.1 cm. Hobart, TMAG.
41. Thea Proctor. Lady with a fan, 1913. Pencil and watercolour wash, 38.1 x 31.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
* 42. Thea Proctor, Siesta, 1913. Watercolour, 31 x 51.4 cm. Canberra, NGA.
43. Thea Proctor, The Bathers, c. 1918. Watercolour, pencil and opaque white. Sydney, AGNSW.
44. Thea Proctor. Nude study of a girl (undated). Red chalk on paper, 43.2 x 27.2 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
45. Thea Proctor. The Toilet, c. 1918. Lithograph, 27.4 x 24 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
46. Thea Proctor. Rêverie, c. 1919. Lithograph. Canberra, NGA.
47. Thea Proctor. The Balcony, c. 1919. Colour lithograph. Canberra, NGA.
48. Thea Proctor. Before the rehearsal, 1919. Lithograph, 41.9 x 33.9 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
49. Thea Proctor. Two women, 1926. Watercolour, 29.3 x 27.8 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
* 50. Thea Proctor. The Rose, 1927. Hand-coloured woodcut.
* 51. Thea Proctor. The Bay, 1927. Watercolour on silk, 20.4 x 20.1 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
52. Thea Proctor. Portrait of a dancer, c. 1928. Pencil on paper, 43.1 x 33.1 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
53. Thea Proctor. Girl with gloves, c. 1928. Pencil, 32.2 x 25.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
54. Thea Proctor, Summer, 1930. Handcoloured woodcut, 17.5 x 22.8 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
55. Thea Proctor. Portrait of Sylvia Moore Sims, c. 1930. Pencil, 31.5 x 23.7 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
56. Thea Proctor. 1875, c. 1932. Woodcut, 27.2 x 20.1 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
57. Thea Proctor. Bonnets, Shawls and gay parasols, c. 1938. Linocut, 27.8 x 24.3 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
58. Thea Proctor. Nude with batik, 1940. Watercolour, 46.4 x 38.4 cm. Castlemaine Art Gallery.
59. Thea Proctor. The Bay, 1942. Watercolour, 48 x 50 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
60. The Proctor. Interior with flowers, 1958. Watercolour, 56 x 48.2 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
61. Thea Proctor, Life drawing, 1960. Pencil and ink wash, 34.5 x 25 cm. Sydney PC. Bibliography:
Christopher Allen. Art in Australia from Colonization to Postmodernism. London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
Christopher Allen. Review of George Lambert Retrospective, The Australian Financial Review, 25 July 2007.
Anne Gray. George W. Lambert Retrospective: Heroes and Icons. Canberra, National Gallery of Australia, 2007.
Andrew Motion. The Lamberts: George, Constant & Kit. London: Chatto & Windus, 1986.
Andrew Sayers. The World of Thea Proctor. Canberra, National Portrait Gallery, 2005.
George Lambert. Across the black soil plains, 1899. Oil on canvas, 91.6 x 305.5 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
George Lambert. Miss Thea Proctor, 1903. Oil on canvas, 91.5 x 71 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
George Lambert. Portrait Group (The Mother), 1907. Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 162.5 cm. Brisbane, QAG.
George Lambert. Important people, c. 1914-15 (1921). Oil on canvas, 134.7 x 170.3 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
George Lambert. Anzacs bathing, 1916. Oil on canvas, 26.3 x 36 cm. Mildura Arts Centre.
George Lambert. A Sergeant of the Light Horse, 1920. Oil on canvas, 77 x 62 cm. Melbourne, NGV.
George Lambert. Weighing the fleece, 1921. Oil on canvas, 71.7 x 91.8 cm. Canberra, NGA.
Thea Proctor, Siesta, 1913. Watercolour, 31 x 51.4 cm. Canberra, NGA.
Thea Proctor. The Rose, 1927. Hand-coloured woodcut. AGNSW (left) and NGA (right) versions
Thea Proctor. The Bay, 1927. Watercolour on silk, 20.4 x 20.1 cm. Sydney, AGNSW.
