Rosa Somerville Hope (8 June 1902, in Manchester, England – 7 May 1972, in Kokstad, South Africa), was an English painter who visited South Africa in 1935 and stayed on. Her mother was a teacher at the Camberwell School of Art and her father was recorded as an agent.

Biography

Hope first went to a school in Romiley, but then attended the

Manchester High School for Girls Manchester High School for Girls is an English independent day school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester. The head mistress is Helen Jeys who took up the position in September 2020 ...

, with her twin sister Muriel. In 1918 she started training at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

in London on a scholarship of £20 and in 1926 won the ''Prix de Rome'' for her etching ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'', which was subsequently shown at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. She studied under

Henry Tonks Henry Tonks, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, FRCS (9 April 1862 – 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a Caricature, caricaturist. He became an influentia ...

(1862-1937),

Philip Wilson Steer Philip Wilson Steer (28 December 1860 – 18 March 1942) was a British painter of landscapes, seascapes plus portraits and figure studies. He was also an influential art teacher. His sea and landscape paintings made him a leading figure in ...

(1860-1942) and John Wheatley (1892-1955). At this time she was living at 40 Downshire Hill,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, N.W, the same house where Mark Rutherford, the novelist, lived in 1852. When she visited South Africa in 1935, her former teacher at the Slade School, Professor John Laviers Wheatley, offered her a teaching post at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. She founded the school's printmaking and engraving department. In 1938 she accepted the post of Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Natal in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, where she remained until 1957. From here she made frequent painting trips to the Drakensberg and Transkei, occasionally accompanied by her friend and fellow painter,

Phyllis McCarthy Phyllis McCarthy (12 March 1903 – 16 February 1986) was a South African breeder of and authority on Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs. She established the Glenaholm Kennels in 1949 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, played a seminal role in the Ri ...

. The Centre for Visual Art at the University of Natal has been entrusted with a donation of her works. Rosa Hope designed the tile tableau of the Great Trek Centenary in the

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

Post Office in 1939. In January 1923 she was elected an Associate of the

Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), known until 1991 as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, is a leading art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as it was originally styled, was ...

. She exhibited drawings at the New English Art Club, the

Redfern Gallery The Redfern Gallery is an exhibition space in the West End of London specialising in contemporary British art. It was founded by Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham in 1923 as an artists' cooperative on the top floor of Redfern Hous ...

, Old Bond Street and Messrs. P. and D.

Colnaghi Colnaghi is an art dealership in St James's, central London, England, which is the oldest commercial art gallery in the world, having been established in 1760. Foundation The business that became the Colnaghi gallery was established by Itali ...

at the

Grosvenor Galleries Grosvenor may refer to: People * Grosvenor (surname) * Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster * Grosvenor Francis (1873–1944), Australian politician * Grosvenor Hodgkinson (1818–1881), English lawyer and politician Places, buildings and ...

. She was a member of the

Society of Graphic Art The Society of Graphic Art for Pornographique (renamed Society of Graphic Fine Art in 1984) is a British arts organisation established in 1999. History The Society of Graphic Art (SGA) was founded in 1999 by Frank Lewis Emanuel, whose idea it wa ...

, the

Hampstead Society of Artists Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of ...

and the

Print Collectors’ Club Printing is the process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template Print or printing may also refer to: Publishing * Canvas print, the result of an image printed onto canvas which is often stretched, or gallery-wrapped, o ...

. She exhibited with the South African Society of Artists (SASA) until 1942.

Gallery

Rosa Hope03a.jpg, Rosa Hope02.jpg, Phyllis McCarthy04.jpg,

References

* ''Kokstad Advertiser'' - 11 May 1972

External links

Manchester High School For Girls

Michaelis School of Fine Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Rosa 1902 births 1972 deaths 20th-century English women artists 20th-century English painters 20th-century South African painters 20th-century South African women artists Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Painters from Manchester British emigrants to South Africa English women painters People educated at Manchester High School for Girls People from Kokstad Sibling artists Academic staff of the University of Cape Town 20th-century women painters