Prejudice Against Women Painters

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31001, 5 March 1966, Page 2

Prejudice Against Women Painters

That women have a valid contribution to make to the arts, in spite of prejudice against this notion, is the strong belief of Mrs Shay Docking, a well-known Australian painter.

Mrs Docking was in Christchurch this week with her husband, Mr G. Docking, director of the Auckland City Art Gallery, and sole judge of the 1966 Hay Prize competition.

Her work is represented in the National Gallery of Victoria and the state galleries of South Australia, New South Wales and West Australia. It has also been in-

eluded in the Commonwealth collection, to be housed in the -future National Gallery in Canberra, and in private collections in the United States and England as weil as throughout her own country. “It is difficult at this stage for people to accept that a woman can work professionally as a creative artist,” Mrs Docking said. “So many women do paint, but as a hobby; and the term ‘woman artist’ smacks of dabbling.” Although the status of women painters had improved, there was still con-

siderable antagonism towards women who developed their talents and became truly professional, an antagonism allied to deeply-rooted prejudices going back into history. “It’s a terrific thing to face this prejudice, which often takes the form of hostility,” she said. “One needs to be certain within oneself that one has something to say, and to have the courage to keep going with little help or encouragement.” At the art school attached to the National Gallery of Victoria, where Mrs Docking studied, more than half the travelling scholarships had been awarded to girls. However, she knew of only two who had since become professional artists. Some, certainly, had married and raised families, but she felt the major obstacle had been the prejudice they encountered. "It takes a woman twice or three times as long as a young man to become established. . . . And the more established you become, the more prejudice you evoke, in some ways. “I hate the idea of a woman being militant about these things,” she said. “She loses her identity as a woman if she does. “It is better to work quietly, and produce work which speaks for itself.” Mrs Docking cited the example of Margaret Preston, one of the greatest pioneers in modem Australian painting. Shortly after her death an article appeared in the quarterly “Art in Australia” which said she would have ranked with Dobell and Drysdale had she been a man. “I think this is sad. In fact, I think she was more original than either of them. For quite a while this sort of thing will be inevitable, but it doesn’t matter, because if work is good or great it will be recognised in time. "I think very strongly that a woman painter has her contribution to make,” she said. "A woman is necessarily very close to life itself, and if her experience is on a profound level, and she has the talent required, this will come through.” Mrs Docking said her work, in oils, p.v.a., and opaque pastels, was not related to that of Australia’s expressionistic painters. She was seeking more for “an architectural structure in painting, allied with a lyrical-romantic approach.”