Dora Beatrice Serle (nee Hake) was an Australian artist.
Early years
Dora Serle was born in 1875 in South Melbourne. She was one of 6 children and her talent was evident from childhood.
Dora and her sister Elsie attended drawing classes at the Fairlight Girls School with Australian impressionist Jane Sutherland in the 1890s . When she saw they were serious about their painting and drawing she invited them to her school in the city. They attended daily and received a strong foundation in art.
Career
Dora trained with Walter Withers at Heidelberg and at the National Gallery School. She exhibited at the Victorian Artists’ Society rooms in East Melbourne. During this time she worked from a studio she shared with her sister.
While abroad in 1902, Dora decided the impressionist style of painting suited her. On her return to Australia she ran an art school in Geelong where she lived and worked for the next 10 years.
Like the artists of the Heidelberg School, she worked “en plein air” (in the open air) as was the fashion. She also took up china painting and won several prizes for her work.
She married the scholar, Percival Serle in 1910 and had 3 children. Her work continued after her marriage at a slower pace but she always exhibited. As her children grew more independent, her work flourished. The 1930s and 1940s were her most prolific period.
Her sister Elsie Barlow also continued to paint and founded the Castlemaine Art Gallery.
Contribution
Dora was active in many organisations, including the Lyceum Club, the Victorian Artists’ Society, the National Council of Women, the Independent Group of Artists, and the Melbourne Society of Women Painters.
Death
After her husband died in 1951 she was unable to paint until a trip overseas in 1954 inspired her to work again. She painted up until her death in 1968 at the age of 93.
The National Gallery of Victoria holds several of her works.
Bibliography
Burke, J. Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, (1981)
Germaine, M. Artists and Galleries of Australia, (1984)
McClelland Galleries, Dora Serle 1875-1968, Exhibition Catalogue, (1977)
Adapted from material supplied by historian Dr Jan Penney, GMCT Trust member 2010-2020.
Burke J (1981) Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, Greenhouse Publications
Germain M (1984) Artists and Galleries of Australia, Craftsman House
National Gallery of Victoria (n.d.) Dora Serle, [website]
