Mary Alexandra Eastlake, born Mary Alexandra Bell in 1864 in Douglas, Canada West (now Ontario), was a Canadian painter whose work spans continents and styles, marked by a rich and varied artistic career. Her early life was spent in Almonte, Ontario, and Carillon, Quebec, where her father was involved in the construction of the Carillon Dam. This early exposure to the natural and industrial landscapes of Canada would later inform her artistic vision.
Eastlake’s formal art education began in Montreal, where she studied under Robert Harris at the Art Association of Montreal (AAM). Her talent and ambition soon took her to New York City, where she continued her studies with the renowned American artist William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League. She also studied under Champigny at the Union League in New York around 1885-87. During this time, she began to receive commissions from American clients, establishing herself as a professional artist.
In the early 1890s, Eastlake furthered her studies in Paris, attending both the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi, two of the most prestigious art schools of the time. The experience of living and studying in Paris, the heart of the art world, profoundly influenced her style, allowing her to refine her technique and expand her artistic repertoire.
Upon her return to Canada in 1892, Eastlake joined the staff of the Victoria School of Art in Montreal. However, in 1893, she returned to Almonte, where she had spent her youth. Her travels soon resumed, and by 1895, she found herself in Cornwall, England. Despite her international travels, she maintained strong ties to the Canadian art community, regularly exhibiting at the annual Spring Shows of the Art Association of Montreal and the Royal Canadian Academy (RCA), where she was a member from 1893 to 1897.
Eastlake's oeuvre includes portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes, capturing moments from her travels in France, Britain, and Canada. Her ability to depict subjects with clarity against interesting natural backgrounds was a hallmark of her style, whether working in oils, pastels, or graphite. Particularly notable are her portraits, often compared to the work of American-born artist Mary Cassatt, especially her studies of children, which exhibit a similar tenderness and attention to detail.
The National Gallery of Canada houses several of Eastlake's works, including Happiness (c. 1892), a pastel of a mother and child; Fairy Tales (c. 1916), an oil painting of two girls, the older reading to the younger; and Mobilization Day 1914. Other notable works include French Fisherwomen Watching the Departure of the Fleet (c. 1917) and Blue and Gold (c. 1920), a portrait of a child in a field of flowers. These works exemplify her strong sense of rhythm, pattern, and her use of pure, strong colors, often applied in flat tones, regardless of the medium.
In 1897, Mary Alexandra Bell married the English landscape painter Charles Eastlake, whom she had met while studying in Paris. After their marriage, the couple returned to England, living in various locations including St. Ives, Croydon, London, and Surrey. Despite their residence in England, they maintained ties to Montreal, where Eastlake continued to exhibit her work. She showed her work at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Oils, and the London Pastel Society. The Studio, a prominent art magazine, once described her work as "essentially decorative," highlighting her strong sense of rhythm, pattern, and color.
Eastlake’s artistic journey was not confined to Europe and North America. In 1913, she and her husband traveled to Japan and New Zealand, experiences that further enriched her artistic perspective. In addition to painting, the Eastlakes engaged in making jewelry and enamels to supplement their income, showcasing their versatility as artists.
After her husband’s death in 1940, Eastlake returned to Canada, settling in Almonte, Ontario, where she lived until her death in 1951 at the age of 87. Throughout her life, Eastlake exhibited widely, including a large Canadian exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto in the winter of 1927. She signed her works "M.A. Bell" before her marriage and "M.A. Eastlake" thereafter, leaving behind a legacy of art that is represented in major collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of New Zealand, and the Hampstead Public Library in London, England.
Mary Alexandra Eastlake’s work remains a testament to her skill, creativity, and the breadth of her experiences across different countries and artistic disciplines. Her ability to blend the decorative with the narrative, coupled with her keen observation of her surroundings, has ensured her place in the annals of Canadian art history.
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