LETTER 3 – PYGMALION
Pygmalion, written by the brilliant Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, first graced the stage in Vienna in 1913, before charming London audiences the following year. Inspired by the Greek myth of a sculptor who falls in love with his own creation, Shaw’s modern tale explored transformation, class, and the power of language. With the celebrated Mrs Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle and Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Professor Henry Higgins, the play caused both laughter and debate. Its sharp wit and social commentary made it an enduring classic — later reimagined as the beloved musical My Fair Lady, enchanting audiences for generations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
PLEIN AIR PAINTING
Plein air painting — the art of capturing the world beneath the open sky — blossomed in the 19th century when artists could finally pack up their paints in convenient metal tubes and carry lightweight easels into the countryside. Suddenly, the fleeting shimmer of sunlight, shifting clouds, and dappled leaves could be painted directly from life. This new freedom inspired the Barbizon painters of France and, soon after, the Impressionists, who chased light itself across fields and rivers. In Britain, John Constable led the way; in America, Thomas Cole’s Hudson River School followed — each finding poetry in nature’s changing moods.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
CLARA SOUTHERN
Clara Southern (1860–1940) was one of Australia’s pioneering women artists and a cherished figure of the Heidelberg School — the movement that brought Impressionism to the Australian bush. Known for her gentle landscapes bathed in golden light, she captured the quiet poetry of life in Warrandyte, where she settled among fellow artists. Tall and graceful, with fair reddish hair, she was affectionately nicknamed “Panther” for her poised beauty and strength of spirit. A trailblazer in a male-dominated art world, Clara’s serene canvases continue to speak of sunlight through gum leaves, the hush of summer air, and the grace of persistence.
https://vasgallery.org.au/
