Rae Perlin (September 11, 1910 – March 5, 2006) was a nurse and artist born in St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, best known for her sketches and her work as an

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

style painter.

Biography

Perlin, was born on September 11, 1910, the youngest of six children of Adelle (Adams) and Israel Perlin. She was educated at Bishop Spencer College in St. John's and a private school in Ontario. She left for New York at an early age to study nursing. She graduated from nursing school in 1934 and worked as a nurse during the Great Depression and the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Her passion was not nursing but art, eventually studying with Samuel Brecher and

Hans Hofmann Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstrac ...

. Perlin moved to Paris in 1950 to study at

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière () is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the A ...

and

Académie Ranson The Académie Ranson was a private art school founded in 1908 in Paris by the French painter Paul Ranson (1862–1909). History The Académie Ranson was founded in 1908 by Paul Ranson (1862–1909), who himself studied at the Académie Jul ...

to further her art studies. From there she moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to study at the

Polytechnic of Central London The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Au ...

. In 1959 she moved back to St. John's to care for her ailing mother. While back at her birthplace she worked at the St. John's General Hospital, still not liking that profession. Perlin's work is displayed in art galleries and in 1994 she was the subject of a biography, ''Not A Still Life'', by Mariam Francis White. Perlin joined the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

in 1969, the fourth native Newfoundlander to do so. Perlin died on March 5, 2006, at St. John's after a long struggle with

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

disease.

References

External links

Bio at Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador

News item at the Baháʼí Community of Canada Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perlin, Rae 1910 births 2006 deaths Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Canada Neurological disease deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador Pre-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador people People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century Canadian women painters Artists from Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian women artists 20th-century women painters Alumni of the Polytechnic of Central London

Biography

See also

References

External links