Waverton cottage, Sydney Harbour and scene of Roland Wakelin painting, sketches by Lloyd Rees

SSV/212

fonds

1931-1934

Graphic Materials, Drawings

9670598

2 drawings - pencil on paper, double-sided - 26 x 33 cm

Lloyd Frederic Rees (1895-1988) was born in Brisbane and became one of Australia’s leading landscape artists of the 20th century. After moving to Sydney to work as a commercial artist for Smith & Julius, he met fellow artist and lifelong friend Roland Wakelin. Rees created many pencil drawings of Sydney Harbour during the 1930s and, alongside Wakelin, was member of the Northwood group who painted around Ryle and Balls Head. Rees taught drawing and art history in the architecture school at the University of Sydney from 1946-86 and was president of the Society of Artists from 1961-1965.

Roland Shakespeare Wakelin (1887-1971) was born in Greytown, New Zealand and began sketching and painting as a child. In 1912 he moved to Sydney where he took classes at the Royal Art Society of New South Wales and met Lloyd Rees whilst employed at Smith & Julius. He was a founding member of the Australian Academy of Art, Canberra. He taught at the National Gallery schools in Melbourne, University of Sydney and Woollahra Arts Centre.

References:
Free, Renee. “Rees, Lloyd Frederic (1895–1988).” Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 19 June 2023
Pearce, Barry. “Wakelin, Roland Shakespeare (1887–1971).” Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 19 June 2023
Library acquisition file

Vendor acquired item from deceased estate. Previous sales include: Macquarie Galleries Sydney; Sotheby's Australia, Sydney 14 August 1990, lot 4; Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 19 August 1996, lot 401.

Double-sided sketch. One side of the work features an unfinished drawing of a cottage in Waverton showing the skyline across the harbour in the background. On the reverse is a sketch of the artist Roland Wakelin painting, with a group gathered around him.

In copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Title devised by cataloguer based on content of sketches

'L. REES 1931-34' and 'by Lloyd Rees' inscribed below sketch of Waverton cottage. 'Wakelin painting' 'by Lloyd Rees 1934?' inscribed below sketch of Wakelin.