Mural decor

Sydney during the first half of the 20th century saw a revival of realism in art that developed in tandem with movements of abstraction. This realism was part of a so-called ‘return to order’ in which artists sought to express links between tradition and modernity. Some artists made work that alluded to antique sculpture, featuring bodies of enhanced strength and robust sexuality; their portrayal of an idealised human form was in part a response to the underlying social and political uncertainties of the age.

This work is a study in design, possibly for a mural or architectural feature, made by Sydney artist Gwynneth Stone who studied painting at the East Sydney Technical College (National Art School) between 1931–34. Stone was active as an artist, sculptor and designer in the 1930s and 40s, including as a Wynne Prize finalist for sculpture in 1948 and member of the Contemporary Art Society.

It is likely that this image of female warriors rendered in profile and strong relief was a product Stone’s studies at East Sydney Technical College, where the sculpture studios led by Rayner Hoff had a strong presence. Hoff’s teachings and art were transformative for Australian sculpture, incorporating works of explicit sensuality and, at times, radical sexuality, in an art deco style that ‘modernised’ classical traditions. Stone’s depiction of uncompromising female power draws from a classical antecedent that many would recognise: the Amazons of Greek myth, a race of warlike women noted for their riding skills, hunting and military prowess; a sort of Greek male-society, in reverse.