Frances Hodgkins (1869 – 1947) is considered by many to be the defining New Zealand artist of her generation. Born in Dunedin in 1869, Hodgkins was intent on pursuing a life in art from an early age. She studied figurative art throughout her youth, and by her early 20s had become highly skilled. Writer and curator Alexa Johnston wrote, “Having been elected a working member of the Otago Art Society at the age of twenty-one, Frances had decided that painting was to be her life.” She set out to pursue greater opportunities in Europe, though returned to New Zealand several times over the ensuing decades. Hodgkins developed an excellent reputation in the UK, France, Australia, and New Zealand, particularly for her skill with watercolour.

Highly influential during her lifetime, Hodgkins stature has only grown since her passing in 1947. Two of her works are included in this exhibition, Still life with vases of flowers and a bowl of fruit on a tabletop, c.1910, and Portrait of Mrs Elisabeth Curtis, 1939. These works demonstrate her mastery of watercolour painting, and the differences between them show her ongoing innovation and artistic development. The earlier of the two is an exquisitely composed and technically excellent still life. The latter is an unconventional portrait, where the subject – Mrs Elisabeth Curtis – shares the picture plane with a vase of flowers. Charcoal undertones give the work a dark palette, though this combination of media is handled with sophistication and flair.