With a brilliant note of crimson, Adelaide Perry accentuates the lips of her former student, artist, conservationist and educator Rachel Roxburgh (1915–1991). Having exhibited at the 1922 Salon in Paris while undertaking studies at the Royal Academy in London, Perry had returned to Sydney in 1925 where she opened her own art school and became a founding member of the Australian Academy of Art. Known for her modernist landscapes and prints, Perry also painted many portraits of her female friends. Here Roxburgh wears a soft cream blouse with mother of pearl buttons and delicate floral motif, which is set against the strong verticals of a striped wallpaper. Her gaze is steady, yet not quite looking at us. At the time, Roxburgh was exhibiting her work with the Contemporary Group, Society of Artists and at the Macquarie Galleries. During the Second World War she qualified as a nurse at Sydney Hospital, before spending a decade in London, studying at the Central and Hammersmith art schools. Also a conservationist and heritage campaigner, Roxburgh later served on the executive of the National Trust (NSW) and contributed to the identification and classification of colonial architectural heritage.
Purchased 2018
© Estate of Adelaide Perry
A portrait of the artist, educator and conservationist, Rachel Roxburgh by Adelaide Perry.
A framed oil painting on canvas, created in 1939, it measures 77 cm high and 67 cm wide.
The frame is a dull gold with a pale grey wash painted over the gold in sections in clear brushstrokes. The corners are raised and decorated in a foliage design.
The portrait’s strong, striped background in cool colours contrasts with a sensitive depiction of the figure of Rachel Roxburgh. Seated on a settee, rendered in warm peaches and creams Rachel’s image is cropped at the bust, filling the majority of the canvas.
The background is a vertical repeating design of thick taupe, teal and almost-black lines. An unseen object casts a faint shadow behind her right shoulder. Just the curve of a reddish-brown high-backed settee is partially shown behind her left shoulder.
Her brunette hair is pulled off her face, elegantly piled on her head in a loose rolled wave, revealing her ears. She has a high forehead with lightly arched brown brows and deep hooded round, light green eyes.
She gazes intently outwards over our right shoulder. Her complexion is creamy, with her nose and cheeks a blushing peach. Her full lips are coated in a vivid coral lipstick. Her chin and jawline are softly rounded and also flushed pink. The arch of her eyebrows and slight upturn of the upper lip makes her appear thoughtful.
Rachel wears a cream pussy-bow blouse with an understated white floral design and a line of greyish buttons. Puff sleeves stop midway down her upper arm, emphasising her broad shoulders. On the garment, taupe and dusky pink shadows emphasise the loosely draping neckline and the trail of buttons down her front.
A signature in bright red is painted in the bottom right, A. E. Perry, 39.
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Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection, this salon-style hang references the lavish 18th- and 19th-century European salons where paintings were hung floor-to-ceiling.
