Ethel Carrick captures Balmoral Beach, sunny side up

ONE of the most significant marriages in Australian art was between two painters, Ethel Carrick and Emanuel Phillips Fox.

Ethel Carrick Fox

ONE of the most significant marriages in Australian art was between two painters, Ethel Carrick and Emanuel Phillips Fox, but, like many partnerships, it had its fair share of tribulations.

The couple shared a passion for depicting life and society at the turn of last century but Carrick, an English-born Anglican, found it exceedingly difficult to get on with her husband's Jewish family, who lived in Melbourne. His family disapproved of her decision to remain childless; she chose instead to concentrate on her painting.

Carrick, who had trained at the Slade School in London, first met her husband at the en plein air artists' camp at St Ives in Cornwall. After they married in 1905, they spent most of their time living in Paris. They were ardent travellers and made trips to the north of Africa, Italy, Spain and the south of France in search of subjects for their expressive paintings. In Europe, they mingled with other expat Australian artists such as Rupert Bunny and George Lambert.

The couple first visited Australia in 1908 and again in 1913. On the second visit, Carrick rather pointedly chose to remain in Sydney rather than visit Melbourne and her husband's family.

While she was in Sydney, Carrick often stayed at the theosophical retreat, the Manor, in Mosman. She had a great interest in theosophy and in Helena Blavatsky, who founded the Theosophical Society. Carrick also stayed by the ocean at Manly and at Redcourt on Cremorne Road across Middle Head from Balmoral.

It was from her vantage point on Sydney Harbour that Carrick painted many works, one of which is On Balmoral Beach, Sydney, recently acquired and donated to the Mosman Art Gallery by long-time local resident, businessman and philanthropist Neil Balnaves.

The painting depicts one of the city's best-known beaches. It is a spot that has been popular since the 1880s when artists such as Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Charles Condor and Julian Ashton pitched tents in the bush so they could paint in the open.

On Balmoral Beach, Sydney, is one of the favourite pictures of the Mosman Art Gallery's senior curator, Katrina Cashman. "It is a fine example of Carrick's oeuvre and it makes a very important contribution to the gallery collection," she says.

"The artist portrays elegant women with their young children beside the brilliant blue waters of Sydney Harbour with a delightful spontaneity which exemplifies the artist's modernist, impressionist style.

"The painting is in excellent condition and looks as fresh as the day it was painted. Its vibrant, jewel-like colours and confident expressive brushwork perfectly capture her exuberant style."

Carrick's life epitomised that of the thoroughly modern woman of her generation, according to Cashman. "She lived an enviable lifestyle. Artistic success gave her financial security. She enjoyed a true creative partnership of hearts and minds in her marriage to Emanuel Phillips Fox. She was involved with the suffragette movement and, because her marriage was childless, this gave her time to devote herself to her practice."

However, the marriage lasted only 10 years. In 1915 Fox, aged 50, died suddenly of cancer. After his death, Carrick continued her career but also worked relentlessly to champion the art of her husband. She continued to travel widely throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, often with the help of friends and staying at theosophical retreats. She returned to Australia numerous times to organise exhibitions of Fox's work. She died in Melbourne in 1952, aged 80.

"In recent years Carrick's prodigious output has received more recognition," Cashman. says. "She is now positioned as one of the leading exponents of impressionism and a dynamic cosmopolitan woman who was ahead of her time."

Ethel Carrick, On Balmoral Beach, Sydney, 1913. Mosman Art Collection, the Balnaves Gift. On display Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney