Eleanor Constance "Nornie" Gude (Dec 8 1915 – Jan 24 2002) was an Australian artist.

Early life

Gude was born in 1915 in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

, Victoria to Stella Rehfisch and Walter Gude, musician and violin teacher, and conductor of the St Patrick's Cathedral orchestra and choir in Ballarat. Her parents met when Stella was 27 and the 42-year old never married Walter was teaching her the violin. Nornie and her sister Gilda were both raised in Ballarat before moving to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was accepted into the Ballarat Technical Art School at 15 because of her advanced skill in painting, and trained there from 1931-1936. She won the esteemed MacRobertson Scholarship in art worth £100 a year. She later went on to the

National Gallery School The National Gallery of Victoria Art School, associated with the National Gallery of Victoria, was a private fine arts college founded in 1867 and was Australia's leading art school of 50 years. It is also referred to as the 'National Gallery ...

from 1936-1939, studying with

Sidney Nolan Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (22 April 191728 November 1992) was one of Australia's leading artists of the 20th century. Working in a wide variety of mediums, his oeuvre is among the most diverse and prolific in all of modern art. He is best known ...

and Charles Bush, and became the first woman to win the National Gallery Students Travelling Scholarship.

Career

Gude won many awards for her painting both while at school and throughout her career. In 1958 she went on a study tour through England and Europe. Her works were described by Harold Herbert as "slick and clever." She exhibited with the Victorian Artists Society and the Australian Water Color Institute in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Nornie met her husband, fellow painter Laurence Scott Pendlebury, while studying together at the Gallery School. They had two children, Anne and Andrew, both of whom followed artistic pursuits. The family lived in Caulfield, Nornie painting in her studio there. She once said about art "You spend your first 20 years learning the technique and the next 20 years losing it." Her work is represented in collections at the National Gallery of Victoria,

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...

, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, as well as regional collections in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

, Castlemaine Art Museum, and

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

. Gude died peacefully at home with her two children in

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

on January 24, 2002.

Awards

* 1941 - National Gallery School Landscape Prize *1948 - F. E. Richardson Prize (Geelong Art Gallery) *1951 - F. E. Richardson Prize *1953 - Perth Art Gallery Prize * 1958 - Voss Smith Prize * 1970 - Pring Prize * 1988 - Doug Moran Naval Prize * 1990 - Doug Moran National Portrait Prize

References

External links

Papers of Nornie Gude and Laurence Scott Pendlebury
1941-2009 anuscript ''

State Library Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

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Nornie Gude
Australian art and artists file, ''

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Works by Nornie Gude at the National Gallery Victoria

Nornie Gude at the Castlemaine Art Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gude, Norrie 1915 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Australian women artists 20th-century Australian artists People from Ballarat Artists from Victoria (state) National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni