Lilla Minnie Perry (10 June 1888 – 30 August 1974) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
landscape painter
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...
.
Early life and family
Lilla Minnie Perry was born Lilla Minnie Bagwell on 10 June 1888 at Marlfield House, Clonmel, County Tipperary. She was the youngest child of
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
and
Harriet Bagwell
Harriet Bagwell (; –1937) was an Irish philanthropist and promoter of local cottage industry.
Life
Harriet Bagwell was born Harriet Philippa Jocelyn Newton around 1853 in Dunleckney Manor, Bagenalstown, County Carlow. She was the eldest child ...
(née Newton). She was raised at Marlfield House, living there until she married a captain in the merchant navy, John Perry (1875-1965) on 4 October 1915. They went on to have three sons and one daughter, Mary Lilla. They lived at the Perry estate, Newcastle, County Tipperary until it was burnt by
republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
in June 1921. After this they lived at a property neighbouring Marlfield,
Birdhill
Birdhill ()Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records) is a village in
Artistic career
It has been assumed that Perry received some amount of formal art training, and she spent a few months in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
as a young woman, but largely she appears to have been self-taught. She worked almost exclusively in
watercolours
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...
, and exhibited regularly with the
Water Colour Society of Ireland
Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) is a watercolour society in Ireland, founded in 1870. The Society held its first exhibition in the Courthouse, Lismore, County Waterford in May 1871.
History
The ''Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI)'' w ...
(WCSI) from 1908 to 1970. She showed over 100 works with the WCSI, initially as Lilla Bagwell, and later under her married name. In 1909 she exhibited with the London Salon for the first time, and was included in exhibitions at the
Society of Women Artists
The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and ...
, London in 1911/1912. She painted all her life, put her most prolific period was in the 1920s and 1930s. From 1927 to 1930, Perry exhibited five works at the
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...
. She also showed with the Munster Fine Art Club in 1933 and the Ulster Academy of Arts, Belfast in 1937.
Her subjects were consistently gardens, trees and rivers, mostly scenes from her home at Birdhill, but also from around Clonmel. Over time her style developed, from muted colours and attention to close detail in her early work, to looser brushwork and a brighter palette. Her ''Kilmanahan castle near Clonmel'' was included at the centenary exhibition of the WCSI in 1970. The majority of her work is held in private collections, with the South Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel holding ''Knocklofty bridge'' (1940) and ''Clonmel and the River Suir'' (1931).