We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Ethel Carrick Fox / England/France/Australia 1872–1952 / Sur la plage c.1907–10 / Oil on panel / 27 x 35.2cm / Gift of the Margaret Olley Art Trust through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2012 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Ethel Carrick FoxSur la plage c.1907–1910
Not Currently on Display
Ethel Carrick Fox was a professional observer, and life with her husband, painter E Phillips Fox, was planned around the pursuit of subject matter to paint. Carrick Fox found delight in capturing the moment, and her canvases depict the movement and visual effects of sunlit scenes surrounding the middle classes at leisure.
The figure in the bonnet and apron is a nanny or nursemaid sitting with well-dressed children beneath the red-and-white-striped bathing tents that were for hire on French beaches. The colourful bathing tents and stylish beach-goers were often subjects of Carrick Fox’s paintings, as she was fascinated by the French preoccupation with high fashion at the beach.
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
In what ways does this scene differ from the way you might spend a typical day at the beach?
Classroom Activities
Imagine new scenes featuring the the figures in Sur la plage. Sketch or paint this scene from the point of view of the children.