Mjtichy21

"Mary Cecil Allen (1893-1962), artist, writer and lecturer on art, known in the United States of America as Cecil Allen, was born on 2 September 1893 in Melbourne, second daughter of Professor (Sir) Harry Brookes Allen and his wife Ada, née Mason. Mary Cecil and her sisters Edith Margaret and Beatrice (Biddy) were born and brought up on the campus of the University of Melbourne in one of the houses provided for professors; they were educated by governesses, their parents, a fine library and travel. At May Vale's art class for children her work 'surpassed all others'."

Mary was an advocate of modern art and attracted audiences with her controversially expressed images portrayed to the public. She typically began to stray towards the seductive reality of modernism and the human body. "As a result, she played a significant role in popularising modernism in Melbourne, explicating the confronting formal experimentation of the avant-garde while highlighting the links between modern art and the experience of modernity. Although Allen was a well-known and highly respected figure during her lifetime, since her death she has been sidelined by art historians."

She was able to render the images portrayed by the public by expressing her works of art through the timeless representations often misunderstood or pro-judged by the people too shallow to look throughout the times they were in. Although a gifted artist, she had many other hidden talents that she often showed to the people. "In 1922 Allen was attracted to Max Meldrum’s theories on tonal realism and produced many works in this style. Concurrently, her reputation for insightful interpretation of artworks was growing and in 1926 she left Australia by invitation to work in Europe and New York. Following her permanent relocation to the United States, in 1931 Allen organised the first exhibition of Australian artists in America which toured and attracted strong interest." She was also a gifted lecturer. During this time, she tended to lean towards the feminist side of history. "In 1910 Mary Cecil qualified for entrance to the faculty of arts at the university, but she preferred the Art School of the National Gallery of Victoria. Her course there, begun in 1910, was interrupted when in 1912-13 she went with her family to England, where she attended the Slade School of Fine Art. Back in Melbourne, this experience and her intellectual gifts made both her and her work conspicuous at the gallery school in 1913-16. A rapid-fire of words expressing ideas and theories in light and lilting cadences attracted a circle each morning until Mary Cecil bade them begone: 'We must work'. She became successful as a painter of portraits and landscape, and especially as a lecturer on art. Study of tonal impressionism with Max Meldrum in 1922 changed her vision and style."

Her early styles had changed when she studied tonal impressionism with Max Meldrum. "After working briefly as a clerk in a wool store Meldrum enrolled in 1892 at the National Gallery School under Bernard Hall. In 1895-96 he sometimes assisted George Coates at his painting and life classes, was one of the artists in the Prehistoric Order of Cannibals club, and contributed cartoons to the socialist weekly the Champion. In 1899 he won the National Gallery travelling scholarship. To augment his travel funds he unsuccessfully requested the patronage of the trustees of the gallery for an art union which he proposed to conduct with his scholarship picture as the prize." Max influenced the style of Mary's paintings and lectures when they met due to his interesting style of speaking and his way of connecting with people. This led Mary to then change the way she went about explaining and changing her art.

"From 1950 Mary Cecil lived and worked in the art colony of Provincetown, Massachusetts. In New York she had taught art at a famous private girls' school in 1930-44 and had her own art school in 1941-45. She held shows at the Roerich Museum, Delphic Gallery and American-British Art Centre, New York, and exhibited with group-shows at the Metropolitan and Brooklyn museums and elsewhere. She lectured to many academic institutions, clubs and societies in New York and New England.

Mary Cecil Allen died at Provincetown on 7 April 1962. Neighbours who called to take her to early morning Communion at the Anglican Church found her seated in a chair—dead. Her death was recorded as 'sinus arrest, cause unknown'. Although still an Australian citizen, she was buried at her sisters' request in the Provincetown cemetery in sight of the Pilgrim Monument." Mary not only changed the world with the art that she published, but changed the way that everyone viewed it. Not only was it important for certain individuals, but it became a vision of the future and history to be made upon the century.