Ethel Carrick Fox / England/France/Australia 1872–1952 / On the beach c.1909 / Oil on canvas / 36 x 42cm / Gift of the Margaret Olley Art Trust through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2011 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

Ethel Carrick Fox
On the beach c.1909

Not Currently on Display

France’s Belle Époque (‘Beautiful Era’) spans the period from the late nineteenth century to the outbreak of the World War One. Widespread peace in Europe at this time encouraged cultural and technological innovations that became part of the development of ‘modern’ life. For many city workers, modernisation meant time for leisure, and newly built railways transported thousands of holidaymakers to seaside resorts where they embraced the latest fashion — sea bathing.

Ethel Carrick Fox’s On the beach c.1909 captures the movement and visual effects of beach crowds. Like many painters at this time, Carrick Fox was a professional observer who recorded sunlit scenes of everyday life among the European middle classes, just as French artists Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir had done in the 1870s.

The mix of bright colours and sunlight provided the perfect opportunity to experiment with new artistic techniques, including using dabs of paint to portray fleeting impressions.

Born in England, Ethel Carrick Fox studied painting at the prestigious Slade School of Art in London, where she was encouraged to paint outdoors and to use close observation when recording what she saw.

In 1901, she met Australian artist E Phillips Fox at an artists’ colony in St Ives, Cornwall. They married in 1905 and over the next decade enjoyed both an artistic and romantic partnership. Based in Paris as part of an international artists’ community, they travelled throughout Europe, North Africa and Australia in search of ‘exotic’ subjects. While travelling, they often sketched side by side outdoors, producing paintings of the same scene.

After her husband’s sudden death in 1915, Carrick Fox continued travelling and painting in Australia, North Africa, India and Europe.

Discussion Questions

What story is this painting telling us about how people lived in the past? How do the leisure activities of today compare with those represented here?

Classroom Activities

1. Think about what Ethel Carrick Fox might paint if she were to visit a beach today. Sketch some ideas and then compose these in a painting. Make sure you include figures in the foreground and background within your beach setting.

2. Create a series of works based on the idea of work and leisure. This could be a photographic or painting series, employing the effects of light, as emphasised by the impressionists.