In 1938, Rita Angus quit her job as an illustrator for Ballantynes department store to focus on painting. Marjorie Marshall was one of a number of close women friends who helped Angus through the late 1930s, when she often lacked a steady income or fixed address. Angus went to stay with fellow artist Marshall and her husband William at their house in Wanaka, and the two women spent days sketching the Central Otago landscape. Angus produced a large body of watercolors on the trip, several of which were exhibited in a show by the Christchurch collective “The Group,” in August of that year. This stylized painting combines two main strands of Angus’ practice – portraiture and landscape – in a work of particular boldness and intensity. Through bright slabs of color and light, she evokes both the drama of the Central Otago Alps and the affection and warmth of her friendship with Marshall. Central Otago was a revelation to Angus – a powerful landscape fit for the ambition of her paintings. She returned there many more times to paint. Marshall is depicted with a light tan scarf draped over her head. Her expression is neutral/serene. Her attire suggests everyday rural wear: a dark green jacket and an orange-red blouse. Her physical and facial features are emphasized using bold brushstrokes and a clear tonal quality. Angus uses distinct, broad brushstrokes and vibrant bold colors. Emphasis is on creating shape and volume through color. As was typical of her practice, Angus made small changes to the portrait of Marjorie Marshall in 1943. Angus rarely sold her paintings and would often return to them over the course of many years, making small adjustments to the color or composition. This painting was originally intended to be accompanied by a self-portrait of Angus in the same landscape. That self-portrait was never finished, yet is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia as “Self-portrait (Wanaka).”

“Marjorie Marshall” by Rita Angus (New Zealander) - Oil on canvas adhered to plywood / 1938-1939 & 1943 - Te Papa (Wellington, New Zealand) #WomenInArt #FemaleArtist #WomensArt #PortraitofaWoman #ArtText #WomanArtist #TePapa #MuseumofNewZealand #art #RitaAngus #MarjorieMarshall #CentralOtagoAlps