Janie Wilkinson Whyte

Janie Wilkinson Whyte (1869–1953)[1] was an Australian artist.

Biography

Canterbury bell flowers, ca. 1921–1930, State Library Victoria

Whyte was a painter, etcher, and wood-carver who studied at the National Gallery School from 1890–1895[1] and together with Dora Wilson and Jessie Traill took lessons in etching from John Mather.[2] Their etchings were published in The Lone Hand in 1907 as some of the earliest works in this field made by women.[2] Whyte was an impressionist artist who painted portraits, figure studies, and landscapes,[3] and was one of the first Melbourne women to paint dockyard scenes.[1] She also painted interiors and flowers, and worked with oils, watercolours, and pastels.[3] Her cityscapes contained charming observations of Melbourne life.[1] Whyte showed with the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors in the 1920s.[4]

As part of a first wave of feminist artists in Melbourne,[1] Whyte presented a paper at women's cultural group the Austral Salon along with Violet Teague in August 1907.[5] While a copy of her lecture was not archived it is said she discussed the struggle for Australian women artists to get recognition.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Trove". trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Mary Alice, "Wilson, Dora Lynnell (1883–1946)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 20 August 2020
  3. ^ a b Angeloro, David James (2019). "An Australian Woman's Impression and Its Influences" (PDF). Davidson Auctions.
  4. ^ "Art Notes". The Age. 23 August 1923. p. 12. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b Peers, Juliette (June 2011). "Women artists as drivers of early art historical activities and alternative art historical narratives in Australia" (PDF). Journal of Art Historiography. 4: 1–18.