It is unknown who the subject of Anne Marie Hall’s ‘Motherly Portrait’ is. The woman is well captured – a distant sadness to her eyes, blooms of pink colouring her cheeks, ringed by a halo of grey curls. In an air of wisdom tinged with melancholy, Hall evokes a maternal figure.

‘Motherly Portrait’ was drawn in 1976 while Hall’s then husband, artist John Perceval, was committed to Larundel Mental Asylum on the outskirts of Melbourne. Hall would visit him and sketch the institution’s surroundings and staff. Perhaps the woman here was a nurse at Larundel; perhaps she was Hall's own mother, an artist herself who sadly, it is believed she died by her own hand.

An example of Hall’s ability to distil her subject’s character, ‘Motherly Portrait’ is an arresting yet mysterious work. Represented at the National Gallery of Victoria, the Ian Potter Centre and Geelong Gallery, Hall is an enriching addition to collections of modernist art, portraiture and female artists.

Anne Marie HALL (1945 - )
'Motherly Portrait' 1976
Ink on paper
Image Size: 32 x 26 cm
Dimensions: 32 x 26 cm
Signed: Signed and dated lower image.
Comes with Letter of Provenance
 
Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.
 
(c) The Artist or Assignee