Although very adept at landscapes and still life painting, it’s in the area of portraiture that Hugh Ramsay made his mark - especially in portraits of children. His output was prodigious in a tragically short career. The forth of nine children, Ramsay was born in 1877 in Scotland and he sailed with his family to Melbourne as an infant. The family eventually built the house “Clydebank” in Essendon in 1888 near the banks of the Maribyrnong River.
‘Clydebank’, Essendon c. 1930
He entered the National Gallery School at 16, against his father’s wishes, and made rapid progress under the disciplinarian Bernard Hall and the more popular Frederick McCubbin who was drawing master. Later, Ramsay attended classes run by E. Phillips Fox and Tudor St George Tucker in Heidelberg.
A sketch from his days at the National Gallery School
Ramsay was very close to his family and at the tender age of 20 painted a remarkable portrait of his sister Jessie. At this early stage of his career, the candour that characterizes his portraiture was already in evidence.
Jessie With Doll, 1897, oil on canvas, 109 cm x 54 cm
In 1900, Ramsay sailed to England and Europe. He was hoping to qualify for a traveling scholarship but failed, so a group of friends and fellow artists got together and assisted him in raising the money required. Whilst in Paris, Ramsay was invited to share a bitterly cold studio above a soda factory in Montparnasse with James McDonald and this studio became the setting for many of Ramsay’s portraits including self portraits which, naturally, spared him the expense of a model.
Ramsay’s studio at Montparnasse
These self portraits gave Ramsay the opportunity to experiment with composition, lighting, pose and dress. He would study the portraits of Whistler and Sargent by day and often paint at night.
Self Portrait in White Jacket, 1901, oil on canvas, 92 cm x 73 cm
In 1902, Ramsay submitted 5 paintings to the new salon in Paris and had 4 accepted which was considered an amazing achievement. One of the paintings was the famous portrait of Jeanne, now hanging at the National Gallery of Victoria. She was the 6 yo daughter of his concierge and Ramsay had to bribe her with Australian stamps to sit in an uncomfortable pose. One can almost detect a slight resentment in the sitter.
Jeanne, 1901, oil on canvas, 130 x 89 cm
Whilst in Paris, Ramsay was introduced to Dame Nellie Melba who was keen to meet this Australian artist who was making a name for himself at the time. Melba, who was at the height of her career commissioned Ramsay to paint her portrait. However, the combination of working too hard in a freezing studio whilst neglecting his diet took its toll on Ramsay’s health and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was advised to return to the warmer climate of Australia, which he did in 1902.
Lady In Blue, 1902 oil on canvas, 172 cm x 112 cm
The title of this painting was thought to be a nod to the way Whistler titled his works, such as “Arrangement In Grey And Black” - the portrait of Whistler’s mother. It’s actually a portrait of James Mac Donald and his fiancé Maud Keller.
Upon returning to Melbourne, Ramsay began painting with greater urgency partly due to his illness, greater public recognition and Melba’s patronage. This, of course did little to ameliorate his health problems. In 1903 he painted the portrait of Miss Nellie Patterson, Melba’s niece. She kept slipping off the cushion and Ramsay had to bribe her with sweets. This is one of my favourite Ramsay portraits and it’s thought to represent the greater influence that Sargent was now having on his work with its bolder brushstrokes and panache.
Miss Nellie Patterson, 1903, oil on canvas, 122 cm x 93 cm
In 1902, Melba held an exhibition of Ramsay’s work at her house in Toorak - the only solo show of his work during his lifetime. His health continued to deteriorate and he died at ‘Clydebank’ in 1906, never having completed the Melba portrait, aged just 29. Bernard Hall once described Ramsay as the most brilliant student in his 43 years of teaching.
Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com
References;
‘Hugh Ramsay’ by Patricia Fullerton
‘Hugh Ramsay - in conversation with curator Deborah Hart’, National Gallery of Australia podcast