On Whose Shoulders I Stand
This series is my homage to the overlooked women artists of the early 20th century brought to life through vivid, large-scale self-portraits. Each painting is also a performance, where I embody the struggles and triumphs of these women, creating an intimate dialogue across time that bridges their stories with my own. Blending self-expression and advocacy, the works restore the rightful recognition of these women, celebrating their creativity and resilience in the face of historical exclusion.
How can you really tell the story of a culture when you don’t include all the voices within the culture? Otherwise, it’s just the history, and the story, of power.
—Guerrilla Girls
Because we are denied knowledge of our history, we are deprived of standing upon each other’s shoulders and building upon each other’s hard earned accomplishments.
—Judy Chicago
Artist's Statement
The under-representation of female artists in the art history books, public art galleries and the auction houses of the world is the motivation behind the creation of this series of self-portraits. Each of the self-portraits is a homage to a female Australian artist of the 20th century who persisted to paint despite the lack of recognition and support of the male-dominated art world. These women’s creativity, commitment, and courage have provided me with invaluable role models, and inspire me to continue their work by walking the artistic path.
When reading any history book, we need to ask ourselves:
Who is telling the story? Which stories are being left untold?
As the Australian art history books on display demonstrate, white men have dominated not only the practice of art but also the telling of its history. Patriarchy has taken one story – that of the male white artist – and made it representative of the whole when in fact there are multiple stories all happening simultaneously.
Feminist art historians have been unearthing the lost stories of unknown women artists for over 50 years and this series of works therefore forms part of this feminist revision. However, it is worth remembering that the story of the women is only one of many marginalised groups, and it serves to highlight the need to wake up to the distortions of the white male-dominated art history narrative.
Celebrating the achievements of forgotten women artists from the time when modernism was emerging in Australia, this exhibition joins a number of corrective exhibitions that seek to provide an alternative perspective of Australian art. It seeks to elevate the status of these women to that of great artists, a role historically reserved for men.
Finally, these paintings seek to change beliefs that are deeply rooted in our psyches by recognising the immense pool of female talent and its contribution to the story of art in Australia.
Susie Raz, 2025
If you put into the kitty,
it’s going to be better for somebody else.
— Guerrilla Girls
Queen Victoria Women's Centre 202?
Hawthorn Town Hall Gallery, February 2025. Photography by Christian Capurro.
Montsalvat 202?
Homage to Nora (2020)
Oil on canvas
97x82 cm
Nora Heysen was the first female winner of the Archibald Prize. However, like so many other Australian female artists, Nora has not been properly recognised for her contributions to Australian art. This work is based on Nora’s self-portrait completed in 1932, which is in the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW. A reproduction of the original is in the top left corner of my painting, and in the top right corner is a reproduction of an Alice painting by Charles Blackman, one of my great artistic inspirations.
Nora Heysen, Self-portrait (1932): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/943/
Homage to Hilda (2021)
Oil on canvas
137x80 cm
Whenever I mentioned to people that I was painting a self-portrait which is a tribute to the artist Hilda Rix Nicholas, they all asked, “Who’s that?” Rix Nicholas’ work hung in the Paris Salon in 1911 alongside Arthur Streeton and George Bell and her works were acquired by the French government in 1912 and in 1925. ‘La Robe Chinoise’, which is the inspiration for this work, hangs in the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Hilda Rix Nicholas, La Robe Chinoise (1913): https://collection.artgallery.wa.gov.au/objects/13420/la-robe-chinoise-the-chinese-dress
Homage to Grace (2022)
Oil on canvas
82x66 cm
This self-portrait is a homage to Grace Crowley, who chose to become a professional artist at a time when this was considered highly unusual for a woman. She was a pioneer of modernism in a conservative and male dominated art world. The self-portrait is based on Portrait of Lucie Beynis (1929) which Crowley completed while she was studying art in France. It is in the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW.
Grace Crowley, Portrait of Lucie Beynis (1929): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/OA14.1965/
Homage to Lina (2022)
Oil on canvas
80x70 cm
I only discovered Lina Bryans through doing this project. Yet, in the 1930’s, Lina’s “Pink Hotel” in Darebin on the outskirts of Melbourne rivalled Sunday and John Reed’s art circle at Heide. Between 1937 and 1970, Lina painted 70 portraits of literary and artistic friends, thus forming a landscape of Melbourne’s cultural life. Included in these is the portrait of Jean Campbell, a modernist author and playwright, which she titled ‘The Babe is Wise’ after the title of Jean’s recently published book. Both Lina and Jean were free spirits, intellectuals, and well ahead of their time.
Lina Bryans, The Babe is Wise (1940):
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/3461/
Homage to Thea (2023)
Oil on canvas
154x100 cm
Thea Proctor was a gifted draughtswoman, painter, printer and fashion icon. She was the first female Australian artist to exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 1912. In her mid-fifties Thea gave up her studio in George St, Sydney, and moved into a small ground floor flat with her mother in Double Bay. It was here that she painted Woman in White, circa 1942, which is now in the collection of The Art Gallery of NSW, and which is the inspiration for this self-portrait. In the original painting, above the woman, can be seen the bottom portion of a portrait of Thea painted by her close friend George Lambert when she was in her 20s. I have replaced this with the bottom portion of Woman in White.
Thea Proctor, Woman in White (1942): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/311.2005/
Homage to Clarice, (2023)
Oil on canvas
60x85 cm
Clarice Beckett is one of a long list of women artists whose story remained buried until it was unearthed many years after her death. Required to look after her aging parents, and with no space for a studio, Clarice would paint outdoors in the early mornings and evenings when not tied up by domestic responsibilities. She produced hundreds of paintings which evoke the atmosphere of the bayside area of Melbourne at these times. In the 1970’s they were found in a barn, many destroyed by rats and the elements. Clarice died from pneumonia at the age of 48. This painting is inspired by a number of her works.
Clarice Beckett, Evening St Kilda Road (1930): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/197.2013/
Homage to Grace Cossington-Smith (2024)
Oil on canvas
77x50 cm
Grace Cossington-Smith had a privileged upbringing, and unlike most of the female artists of her time, was encouraged by her family to pursue her passion. When she began to exhibit her work in her 20’s, the critics were disparaging. The Sock Knitter, on which this self-portrait is based, was ignored and returned unsold to her studio where it remained for the next 40 years. Subsequent reviews of her work were equally dismissive. At the age of 81, Grace was “discovered” and after 60 years of painting in obscurity she became an “overnight success”.
Grace Cossington Smith, The Sock Knitter (1915): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/OA18.1960/
Homage to Stella (2024)
Oil on canvas
102x77 cm
Stella Bowen holds a special place in my heart, so I was always going to do an homage to her. As a student in my late 20’s, I came across her memoir titled ‘Drawn From Life’. Quietly reading this honest account in the library of the University of Queensland, I felt an anger stir within me. It was an anger at the injustice of our social conditioning where the sacrifice of a woman’s artistic desires to the needs of the family was (and still is in many cases) seen as the norm. The work is based on her self portrait dated 1928.
Stella Bowen, Self-portrait (1928): https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/collection-publications/collection/works/self-portrait/26830/
Homage to Jean (2024)
Oil on canvas
77x77 cm
Jean Bellette’s name was not familiar to me before doing this series. She mixed with many of the big names in the Sydney art circle of the 1940’s and 50’s, becoming not only a pioneer amongst Australian women artists, but also remaining true to a style which was distinctly her own. Her inspiration was drawn mostly from Greek mythology, and I admire her authenticity for following her instincts. My painting is based on her work titled Chorus without Iphigenia, c.1950.
Jean Bellette, Chorus without Iphigenia (1950): https://searchthecollection.nga.gov.au/object/28663
Homage to Tempe (2025)
Oil on canvas
76x76 cm
I came across Tempe Manning’s self-portrait very early in my research and was always going to do an homage to her. To me, it was the perfect image of the woman artist looking out at the world with a quiet and steely confidence. Tempe exhibited in the Archibald Prize 26 times. However, very little information is available about her. I was delighted when, in 2021, the painting was chosen as the hero image for the Art Gallery of NSW’s touring exhibition Archie 100 – A Century of The Archibald Prize. In the background of the painting are the names of dozens of other Australian women artists from the 20th century who deserve recognition.
Tempe Manning, Self-portrait (1939): https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/65.2021/
Homage to Vida (2025)
Oil on canvas
170 x 85 cm
Vida Lahey painted ‘Monday Morning’ in 1912, in the early days of her career, while only in her 20’s. At the time, she lived in her family home in Brisbane, Queensland. Vida was one of the first female artists in Australia who saw herself as a professional artist. I have often wondered if the painting and the title were a commentary on the wasted skills as well as the financial dependence of so many women, who woke up on a Monday morning to do the laundry for their family rather than going to work or pursuing an interest.
Vida Lahey, Monday Morning (1912): https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/stories/monday-morning-wash-day-by-vida-lahey-was-once-a-common-sight/
In conjunction with the exhibition On Whose Shoulders I Stand at Hawthorn Art Center, Susie initiated and moderated an engaging panel discussion with contemporary Melbourne women artists, reflecting on their journeys in the art world. Participants included Tai Snaith, Louise Saxton and Cyrus Tang. The conversation delved into the role models who inspired them, the challenges they faced, and the triumphs that define their careers. They explored how the experiences of female artists in the past resonate with today’s artists, revealing the persistent fight for recognition in a historically male-dominated field. Audiences were afforded the opportunity to engage with the artists.
International Women's Day Panel
Exhibition Feedback
“As a female artist myself, there is something comforting in reading about the journeys of these women whose paths were not easy or clear. Thank you for giving them light.”
“A powerful representation of intergenerational feminist storytelling. A reclamation of the feminine through the years. Astounding!”
“Outstanding works and stories of these artistic legends! A service to them and a joy for all of us.”
“Thank you for showcasing a topic that is not addressed by many galleries. Your work is the beginning of a change for the future to come.”
“Amazing work! The best way ever to continue fighting for what should be a given – equality, equity, no barriers!”
“Stunning works! Brilliant and colourful, and I love the stories behind them.”
susie.raz@gmail.com
Susie Raz [art]
Based in Naarm (Melbourne)
© 2026 Susie Raz. All Rights Reserved.