1949
Once again the J H McPhillimy and F E Richardson Prizes were held, which, in 1949, attracted 102 entrants.
Mary E McLeish received the J H McPhillimy Prize for her oil painting Spring holidays, while Margaret Gunnersen was awarded the the F E Richardson Prize for her watercolour Sand dunes.
Geelong Gallery added three new works to the permanent collection throughout the year: Tasmanian landscape by Daryl Lindsay, Sydney Harbour from Bay Coast by Benjamin Edwin Minns, and Carmen by Colin Colahan.
Carmen depicts Carmen Mankey, an actor from the West Indies region. This work is a late example of the tonal realist style, an artistic movement that emerged in Melbourne during the 1910s which placed importance on tonal values to generate pictorial space and depth. Here, Colahan has used wide, rapidly applied brushstrokes in contrasting hues to capture the gathered and draped fabric of Carmen’s blouse.