Jo Sweatman

Estelle Mary (Jo) Sweatman (1872-1956), was an Australian painter. She was a founding member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society.[1]

Jo Sweatman
Born	Estelle Mary Sweatman 1872 South Yarra, Victoria
Died	1956 (aged 83–84)
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	National Gallery School
Known for	Painting

Biography

Sweatman was born in South Yarra[2] 1872.[3] She took drawing classes at a suburban ladies' college, and was recommended by her teacher to join the National Gallery School, where she studied for two years under Frederick McCubbin.[2] She also studied painting while at the school with Bernard Hall.[2] Sweatman was initially involved with the Victorian Artists' Society but her support for Max Meldrum eventually led to her being ousted along with friend A.M.E. Bale.[2] She started her career painting portraits but eventually found the lure of nature led her towards landscapes.[2] Building her house 'The Kipsy' next door to fellow artist Clara Southern, they both took an active role in developing the artistic community in Warrandyte, Victoria.[4] She helped establish annual art exhibitions with the Warrandyte Women's Auxiliary Association, serving on a committee of resident artists as secretary.[5]

She was a founding member of the group, Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, that was formed by students and followers of Australian Tonalist Max Meldrum.[6] Sweatman was considered to be one of Australia's most famous painters of wattle.[7] She has works in the collections of the Hamilton Gallery,[8] Castlemaine Art Museum[9], and the National Gallery of Victoria.[10]

In 1922 Sweatman was a finalist for the Archibald Prize for her Portrait Miss A.M.E. Bale. The same year A.M.E. Bale was a finalist with her portrait of Miss Jo Sweatman.[11] Sweatman died in 1956.[3]

Exhibitions

• 

  "Beauties of nature" Cairns Post, 15 May 1929
  South Australian Society of Arts 9th annual exhibition, November 1906[12]
• Victorian Artists' Society 18th annual exhibition, East Melbourne Galleries, October 1913[13]
• Group exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, July 1919[14]
• Australian Art Association annual exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, 1 - 15 October, 1920[15]
• Group exhibition (Jo Sweatman, A.M.E. Bale, Bernice Edwell), Athenaeum Gallery, November 1923[16]
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, Queen's Hall, November 1924[17]
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, Athenaeum Gallery, 15 - 29 September 1925[18]
• Solo exhibition, Decoration Gallery, May 1926[19] (catalogue)
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society 8th annual exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, 14 - 25 September 1926[20]
• Jo Sweatman & A.M.E. Bale, Athenaeum Gallery, 28 March - 9 April 1927[21]
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society 10th annual exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, September 1928[22]
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society 11th annual exhibition, 24 September - 5 October 1929[23]
• Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, April 1929[24]
• Australian landscapes, Athenaeum Gallery, 9 - 20 May, 1933[25]
• Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, 30 April - 11 May 1935[26] (catalogue)
• 

  Amalie Colquhoun, Jo Sweatman, and A.M.E. Bale, The Age, 30 September 1939
  Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, May 1937[27] (catalogue)
• Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, 18 - 29 May 1943[28]
• Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, 22 May - 2 June 1945[29]
• Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, Athenaeum Gallery, 3 - 14 September 1946[30]
• Solo exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery, May 1947[31]

References

1. "Members". Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Inc. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
2. "AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS OF TO-DAY". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 9 May 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
3. "Jo Sweatman". National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
4. "Artists Warrandyte - Warrrandyte Historical Society". Warrandyte Historical Society. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
5. "BACK TO WARRANDYTE". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 20 November 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
6. "History". Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Inc. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
7. "Archibald entry in show". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 16 September 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
8. "HG :: Hamilton Gallery". www.hamiltongallery.org. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
9. "Jo Sweatman (b.1872, d.1956)". Castlemaine Art Museum Collection Online. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
10. "Jo SWEATMAN | Artists | NGV". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
11. "1922". Archibald Prize. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
12. "SOCIETY OF ARTS". Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929). 8 November 1906. p. 6. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
13. "VICTORIAN ARTISTS' SOCIETY'S SHOW". Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925). 9 October 1913. p. 35. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
14. "ART EXHIBITION". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 15 July 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
15. "Nature on Canvas". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 30 September 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
16. "MELBOURNE EXHIBITIONS". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 3 November 1923. p. 33. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
17. "TWENTY MELBOURNE PAINTERS". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 19 November 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
18. "ART NOTES". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 15 September 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
19. "PORTRAITS AND LANDSCAPES". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 29 May 1926. p. 49. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
20. "ART NOTES". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 14 September 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
21. "DOUBLE SHOW OPENS". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 28 March 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
22. "TWENTY MELBOURNE PAINTERS". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 22 September 1928. p. 17. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
23. "THE TWENTY MELBOURNE PAINTERS". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 24 September 1929. p. 9. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
24. "PAINTINGS OF MISS JO. SWEATMAN". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 22 April 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
25. "Australian Landscapes by Miss Jo Sweatman". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 9 May 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
26. "ART NOTES". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 30 April 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
27. "Landscapes Predominate In Three Art Shows". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 3 May 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
28. "JO SWEATMAN'S PAINTINGS". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 18 May 1943. p. 9. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
29. "ART EXHIBITION". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 22 May 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
30. "ART EXHIBITIONS REVIEWED". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 3 September 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
31. "ART EXHIBITION FINE WORK BY JO SWEATMAN". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 27 May 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2020.

External links

• Resources for Jo Sweatman on Trove, National Library of Australia
• Images of Jo Sweatman's paintings on MutualArt
• Jo Sweatman Australian art and artists file, State Library Victoria
• Jo Sweatman [manuscript] biography by Margaret Stephensen, State Library Victoria