Hugh Ramsay on Film

Hugh Ramsay: An Overview

National Gallery of Australia curator Dr. Deborah Hart discusses Hugh Ramsay's early training, his years working in Paris, and the paintings — including 'Two Girls in White' — he completed after his tuberculosis diagnosis. Presented by Dr. Deborah Hart, Curator & Head of Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia.

Watch the original on FacebookPublished by the National Gallery of Australia

Chapters

00:00Introduction to Hugh Ramsay and the ExhibitionAn introduction to Hugh Ramsay and the National Gallery of Australia's exhibition of his work.
00:16Early TrainingRamsay began painting seriously as a teenager — his earliest exhibited work was a kookaburra painting completed at 14, and he entered art school at 16.
00:40Paris and Self-PortraitsIn 1901, Ramsay moved to Paris, where he painted numerous self-portraits, using himself as a model, while taking in the city's museums and art scene.
01:12Self-Portraits and Salon AcceptanceHis self-portraits show an evolving style, drawing on artists such as John Singer Sargent. Four of his works were accepted into the New Salon in Paris, an early success for an Australian artist in his 20s.
02:45Dame Nellie Melba and Child PortraitsRamsay met Dame Nellie Melba, who commissioned him to paint her niece, Miss Nellie Patterson — one of his child portraits.
03:52Illness and Later PaintingsAfter being diagnosed with tuberculosis at the height of his career, Ramsay continued painting — including his largest work, 'The Equestrian Portrait', and 'Two Girls in White', a portrait of his sisters.
05:32His LegacyThe curator reflects on Ramsay's short career and his hope that Ramsay's work continues to be recognized.

Quotes worth reading

Opening00:06–00:11

“Hugh Ramsay was a remarkable artist. He's really not very well known, and that's something we want to achieve in this exhibition.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Key insight00:32–00:40

“There's really this sense of a prodigy, a child prodigy, because we've got to remember that he was only 16 when he went to art school.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Quotable moment00:43–00:51

“In 1901, Hugh arrives in Paris, and it's really a dream come true. He's in the metropolis where artists from all over the world have come together.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Key insight02:15–02:26

“Hugh sends in a number of works to the New Salon, and he gets four accepted. This is just phenomenal, because it's really unusual, let alone for an Australian artist in his 20s exhibiting virtually for the first time.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Personal moment03:52–04:00

“His doctor tells him he's got to rest. His whole family is very upset and worried for him. He's really quite sick, but he decides he's not going to give up.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Quotable moment04:26–04:33

“I think what he was really trying to do, he knew he only had a short time to live. So, what the heck, just go for it, give it my best shot.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Key insight05:07–05:32

“What he does that is really different, I think, is he brings them close to us again. There's that real feeling that we're in their presence. He paints with this kind of alacrity, he paints the dresses so beautifully, but it's that connection between him and his siblings, that closeness to family that was right there in the beginning is there towards the end, and you really feel it in this incredible painting.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

Closing06:04–06:16

“God, I hope you're looking down and you can see what you achieved. For me, that has been one of the great things — just to work on an artist who gave so much of himself in a short life, but a really brilliant one.”

— Dr. Deborah Hart

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