Dorothy ,
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Note : As a school girl in Johannesburg Maud Sumner received art lessons from AE Gyngell (1866-1949) but family members advised her to consider an academic career above that of a career as fine artist. She was sent to Oxford University in 1922 where she studied English and French literature.However, during her time at Oxford, Sumner commenced with art training as her enduring interest in fine art compelled her to investigate other creative options. In 1925 she briefly registered for an art course at the Westminster School of Art in London but it soon became apparent that the English art school tradition did not suit her temperament or artistic inclination. Conversely, France became her creative and spiritual home as she subsequently made her way to Paris, where she initially worked in the studio of the sculptor Naum Aronson (1872-1943). But Sumner was a painter at heart and eventually enrolled at the Grande Chaumière where she worked under the guidance of George Devallières (1861-1950) and Maurice Denis (1870-1943).Devallières founded the Ateliers d’Art Sacré with Denis in 1919 in an attempt to renew interest in religious art and symbolist themes whilst Denis later became well-known for his association with the art movement known as Les Nabis. The distinct world views and interests of these two artists had a lasting influence on the stylistic development of the young Sumner especially Denis’ portrayals of inviting intimate interiors. Other notable members of Les Nabis who followed in this Intimist tradition were Bonnard, Vallaton and Vuillard.For some time during the 1930s Sumner concentrated on Intimist themes and settings in which she applied her growing knowledge of oil painting. In this portrait of Dorothy, who could have been either a sister or a fellow student, the artist effectively captured the intimate mood and the very moment of a contented figure busying herself with the absorbing pastime of embroidery. The location is somewhat cluttered but homely. Similar depictions of these intimate interiors can be seen in her Chez Maria Blanchard in the Johannesburg Art Gallery as well as in La Poupeé Rose in the collection of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Port Elizabeth.
Eunice Basson
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