Local Artist to Feature in Gunnersbury Park Exhibition
Modernist figurative painter Madeline Green helped found the Ealing Art Guild
The Costers. Private collection
Gunnersbury Park Museum is to hold a special free exhibition of the work of an important local artist.
Reflections of an Artist: Madeline Green, 1884-1947 will take place between 11 February and 25 May.
A modernist figurative artist, Madeline Green grew up and lived most of her life in Ealing – where she helped to found the Ealing Art Guild, known today as the Ealing Art Group.
From 1906 she studied at the drawing and painting schools at the Royal Academy of Arts, at a time when John Singer Sargent, John William Waterhouse and George Clausen were visiting teachers, and where she twice won awards for her life-like sketches.
A versatile artist, she was well received by contemporaries, exhibiting at 18 galleries across the UK, Dublin, Venice and Paris, including 24 times at the Royal Academy. The museum is hoping that the display will create a new generation of admirers for her work.
This exhibition highlights the wide range and styles of pieces Green produced during her lifetime, including uncompromising self-portraits, anatomical studies of animals, and dreamy renderings of early 20th-century parties, mimes and theatrical costume.
One highlight of the exhibition is Green’s self-portrait, entitled ‘Holland Smock’. This oil on canvas was completed in 1914 and was exhibited at the Royal Academy and in the Paris salons, amongst others. Green has depicted herself wearing her artist’s smock and clutching a bunch of tulips. She is in a forward-facing pose, directly engaging with the viewer, leaving a bold and lasting impression.
Holland Smock. Private collection
Green experiments with gender roles and sexuality in her practice. Non-traditional poses, ranging from the playful to the more severe are featured throughout her works, while her choice of costumes further suggests Green was trying to provoke a reaction from the viewer. This is clearly shown in one of the paintings in the exhibition, ‘The Costers’, where Green has depicted herself in a conventional dress while her sister, Gladys, is dressed as a male costermonger (fruit and vegetable seller). ‘The Costers’ was first exhibited at The Society for Women Artists in 1923.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of special events and workshops, Visit www.visitgunnersbury.org for more details.