Evelyn Page
| Evelyn Page | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Evelyn Margaret Polson 23 April 1899 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Died |
(aged 89) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Spouse(s) | Frederick Page |
| Children | 2 |
Evelyn Margaret Page OBE (née Polson, 23 April 1899 – 28 May 1988) was a New Zealand artist. Her career covered seven decades, and her main areas of interest were landscapes, portraits, still lifes and nudes.
Page was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1899, the youngest of seven children of Mary Renshaw and John Polson. Her father was accountant and then manager of Suckling Brothers shoe company. Her parents encouraged her and her sisters to learn music and painting from an early age; in fact, Page could read both words and music, and was able to draw, before starting school.
In 1906, Page started primary school at Sydenham School. She initially wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and learn book-keeping, and asked to be sent to Christchurch Technical College, however she didn't enjoy the experience. Instead, when she was 15, she enrolled at Canterbury College School of Art as a junior pupil. She quickly progressed from elementary to advanced classes, under her teachers Cecil Kelly, Leonard Booth, Archibald Nicoll and Richard Wallwork. She received a number of prizes while at the school, as well as first class honours in her examinations.
While at art school, Page began lifelong friendships with a number of literary and artistic local women, including writer Ngaio Marsh and fellow artist Viola Macmillan Brown.
Page was also taught by fellow Canterbury artist Margaret Stoddart.
In 1922, Page was elected to the Canterbury Society of Arts, which enabled her to begin working as a professional artist, exhibiting and selling portraits and landscape works around New Zealand. In 1927, Page was a founding member of a group of Canterbury artists who became known simply as The Group. These were artists who were interested in breaking with the traditions of the art world, and wanted to start a modernist movement.
From 1930 to 1936, Page was a teacher at the Canterbury College School of Art. During this time she taught Bill Sutton, who went on to become a well-known artist. In 1933 she was a foundation member of the New Zealand Society of Artists.
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