A Story of Art and Love
(Melbourne University Press), 2009, 2010
The Lost Mother, published by Melbourne University Press, is a gripping narrative that is part art history, part detective story and part meditation on the relations between mothers and daughters.
It recounts how after Anne inherited a portrait of her mother as a child, she decides to search for the lost companion painting, where her mother was painted as the Madonna.
The story is both moving, and hypnotic as Anne embarks on a parallel quest to rescue the artist, Constance Stokes, from obscurity and to learn the fate of the mysterious Russian émigré collector who originally bought the portrait.
|
Publication date: July 2009 |
Publication date: May 2010 |
Anne was a guest on Jon Faine‘s morning show on ABC Radio 774 in Melbourne on 14 May 2010, co-hosted that day by Sonya Hartnett and also featuring mountaineer Andrew Lock. Listen online now or Right click here to download MP3 to play later.
Anne was interviewed by Margaret Throsby on ABC FM on 6 August 2009. Listen online with Real Player, Windows Media Player or MP3 player. Right click to download and play later.
Anne was interviewed by Richard Aedy for Life Matters on ABC Radio National on 1 July 2009. Listen online now or download audio in MP3 format.
Anne was interviewed by Richard Glover for the Drive show on ABC Radio 702 on 29 June 2009. Listen online to Part 1 and Part 2 with your MP3 player or right click to download and play later.
“The Lost Mother is a book that is bound to get many a detective-minded reader going. Ultimately, it is a literary triple-portrait of the women linked through a painted portrait: the artist, the owner and the sitter. And it is, of course, a portrait of the author herself.”
Read rest of review by Stephen Scheding, The Age
“To my great relief and boundless pleasure then, I can confidently say that The Lost Mother is an absolute treasure of a book.”
Read rest of review by Sara Dowse, The Canberra Times
“In its construction, its mosaic-like structures, its criss-crossing paths of cause and effect, what The Lost Mother ultimately reveals, thanks to Summers’s skill, is that a painting — or a book, or any work of art — is not just an accumulation or manipulation of paints or pencil or words on a page. It is an object capable of absorbing or reflecting all kinds of meanings that we, the viewers, put into it. It is not a static object; it shimmers with a life we perceive, or think we perceive, within it.”
Read rest of review by Angela Bennie, The Australian
” … most of all, Summers explores the choices women make between parenthood, creativity and love. I read through the night and marvel again that one writer could fit so much of herself and of us all into one beautifully presented book. I finish and step a little closer to understanding how choices also involve sacrifice.”
Read rest of review by Chris Gordon, Readings Events Coordinator
“It’s a journey of an emotional kind, where she seeks to discover the other ‘lost mother’, the one with whom she had a difficult relationship over the decades, and who died suddenly in 2005. There are many threads to follow in this multi-faceted story, including that of Constance Stokes, once a famous Australian artist, but now largely forgotten.”
Read rest of review by Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine
“As she unveils from obscurity this wonderful artist and the secrets of the collector who owned the original painting, she also reveals the pain of her damaged relationship with her mother. This is indeed a beautiful book.”
Read rest of review by Megan O’Brien at Shearer’s Bookshop
Hi Anne
I am currently reading and really enjoying The Lost Mother… as a female Australian artist (I guess that’s why I was given your book as a recent birthday present) I am fascinated by the story of Constance Stokes and how her life has become intertwined with that of your family’s and the pivotal role of a painting. Furthermore, by a stroke of synchronicity I was gob smacked to read about Tay Creggan. I spent a year of my Melbourne childhood at this property for my year 9 schooling at Strathcona and later married in the great hall. Now a Sydney dweller – I am re-living my Melbourne childhood and enjoying your take on part of its history entwined with great stories and great art. I wish you the best for the launch of this book.
Sincerely Jennifer.
Jennifer, thanks for these great comments. I am glad that you enjoying the book, and amazed by yet another piece of serendipity in this story: the fact that you also spent time at Tay Creggan. That house could tell some stories.
Anne
listening to you speak this morning on FM Radio “The Morning Interview” I have now bought a copy of “The Lost Mother” and look forward to meeting you on Thursday evening at Woollahra Library, Writers & Readers. . . .
Hi Anne
Although I have not yet read The Lost Mother I have been a fan since Damned Whores.. and heard you interviewed on Margaret Throsby this week. My mother had my portrait painted as a child of 2 or 3 in Melbourne in 1960-2 – an experience I remember anm the artist was certainly a woman – and I was wondering if Constance Stokes painted children commercially as it were? She would have been in her late 50s then. It would be fun to have a Stokes! Did she always sign her work? My parents lived in South Yarra until 1958 and my mother was a woman who liked to do the fashionable thing so having her first child painted was probably a bit of a fashion statement for her, as she was not otherwise into the art world – science was her thing professionally. Are Stokes’ diaries still around?
Am looking forward to reading The Lost Mother and was also intrigued by the conference on women’s business you spoke about. What an excellent idea.
Cheers
Debora
Debora
Is the portrait of your signed? Constance Stokes always signed her work, but she did paint children so perhaps she painted you. Do you have an image of the portrait you can post on this site?
Anne
Dear Anne
Fiona Douglas, an ex-student of mine, very kindly bought me a copy of The Lost Mother for my recent birthday. She bought it at a Gippsland dinner where you spoke: I am delighted to have a signed copy. It is about to take up residence on my Greek bookshelf!
I just loved the book, and I congratulate you on your fine writing and mighty efforts at research. What a contribution you have made to the history of (neglected) Australian women.
There were a couple of interesting links between you, Constance, and me: you and I are the same age.My mother was a year older than your mother and lived near Kerang as a tot: her grandfather pioneered a place called Milne’s Bridge, which was named after him. And I myself lived in McPherson Street, Nhill (no.50). Formative years: 1953-56. In 2006 I went back after 50 years: an odd experience.
How wonderful to have that portrait.
I well remember your days at The Australian Author. Good work there, too. I hope your next project is well under way and giving you a great deal of pleasure. As well as the
headaches: mandatory.
With thanks for the book and all good wishes
Gillian
Hello Anne
I have just finished reading your book and loved it. As soon as I saw your mother on the book it reminded me of Head of a Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer. I wonder if Constance Stokes was influenced by that. Again as in Ducks on the Pond I was particularly interested in your comments about the Deni house. I hope our grandchildren have the same warm feelings about it you did as a child.
I hope your book stimulates the sales of Australian Woman Artists. I intend to order one straight away. I have recently taken up painting so am particularly interested. Everywhere I go now, if I see a modonna type saintly girl, I will be checking the signature.
Dear Anne, I thoroughly enjoyed your talk at the Salmon Galleries a week ago.
just wanted to let you know there isa Constance Stokes Nude 1953 in the collection of Roddy Meagher currently on exhibtion at the University ARt Gallery, University of Sydney”.
Thoroughly enjoying the book.
regards
Christine
The Lost Mother
My husband and I have read your book. Congratulations!For 25 years we lived in Vista grove Toorak (1965-89), just around the corner from Winifred Crescent. In 1982 Constance did a drawing of our son William (Michael Stokes was very kind to numerous children in the district) and Constance asked if she could draw William (age 14). They were amused when he arrived to sit all clean and tidy and hair brushed. William said that she worked quickly, pencil on paper. We have 2 framed originals, one of which was shown in a Heide exhibition “Figures and Faces Drawn from Life”. The catalogue reads ISBN 9593823 4 8 Maudie Palmer October 1983
There is a review of Stokes and the drawing pencil 28 X 38 1982.Misspelt William Leckie.
Other exhibiters: Brett Whitely, Fred Williams, Tim Storrier, John Olsen, John Brack etc. I visited Stokes and saw where she worked. I did not think that she had financial problems or that she had to sell her work. The house has now been sold and a horrible facard erected in front of the original clean lines. Have not seen Michael lately.
With best wishes, Barbara Leckey. 8 Copelen Street South Yarra 3141
Dear Anne,I am thoroughly enjoying your book and will recommend it to friends who enjoy art detective work. Your personal involvement makes the information easy to follow and retain.
I valued your visit to the Genazzano FCJ College Archives. I would just make one correction on p. 47, where you mention “Two drawings donated by an old scholar.” Our two precious Constance Stokes drawings were purchased by the College in 1993 through Eastgate Gallery, Hawthorn, upon the advice of a long serving member of the College Council, whose wife attended Genazzano, as did his daughters. He knew of the connection of Constance Stokes [Parkin] with Genazzano Convent. As this was at a time before we began to actively develop an art collection for the College, we are indeed endebted for this forsight.
Julianne Barlow, Archivist, Genazzano FCJ College
Hi Julianne. Glad you are enjoying the book but I am sorry about the mistake. I will correct it for the paperback edition which is coming out next year. best wishes
Anne
Dear Anne,
Have enjoyed THE LOST MOTHER on many levels. I’m a teacher at Star of the Sea College in Brighton (Victoria) and was shocked to discover that, on my return from the Christmas holidays, two pictures had ‘walked’ from my homeroom: a Georgia O’Keefe print that I carefully carried back to Oz after a two year stay in California and an original intricate drawing by one of my students of her sister sitting gazing through a window, which I had purchased from Chloe 18 months ago. It seems fine art by women strikes a chord in the hearts of many!! After my intial shock and anger I am now happily hoping that there is a Telstra worker … or one of our students (heaven forbid!) … or a holiday tradesperson somewhere around enjoying the fruits of Georgia and Chloe’s wonderful work. Will keep my eye out for A SAINT and will more closely examine the provenance of works in our own community, hoping to become entwined in their past, present and future … to listen to their stories … to be challenged by their questions and ‘quiet’ gazes …
Best wishes in your current endeavours,
We’d love to welcome you to Star if you’re ever in the neighbourhood!!
Anne M
I have just finished reading The Lost Mother. It’s the first book I have made the time to read since my daughter was born just over a year ago. I am able to connect with the theme of having little time or energy (or capacity!) to create (or even to read!) when you have a gorgeous little one to look after. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Thank you.
Dear Anne,
My father was telling my daughter who lives in Melbourne to go to the Art gallery and see if she could find any paintings by Connie Stokes. I phoned her today and she was excited to say that Connie indeed had a collection but because of recent rain affecting the building she was arranging a private viewing. She also told me about your book Lost Mother. I have the ISBN and I can’t wait to tell my father. I’m sure he’ll want to buy a copy. You see Connie is dad’s aunt! his mother’s sister. Dad has a side portrait of his mother that Connie drew using crayone (I believe). I never met Aunt Connie, we all live in Queensland. We’ll all have to read your book now.
Dear Anne
I just loved your book.It was on a reading List at our local library for a contest, so read it fairly quickly as I wanted someone else to have the chance to read it
I am a family historian, and know some of the people mentioned.However ths part of the book was so interesting, seeing where and how you had researched
i wish you well in finding the other painting
The Lost Mother was a very apt title.I felt that it also applied to Constance Stokes, who seemed to be ‘lost’ also
Dear Mary-Anne – I tried sending this message to your email address but it bounced back. Hope you see it here.
How lovely to hear from you, and to learn about another member of Connie’s family. The national Gallery of Victoria has a lot of her works but they are rarely on display but you can go online and see some of them. But her masterpiece ‘The Village’ should be on public display at Federation Square in Gallery No 7 at the moment so tell you daughter to look out for that. And I do hope your father enjoys the book. What is his mother’s name? I would love to see an image of the crayon drawing if he has a digital camera. Does he have any oil paintings of his mother by Connie?
Thank you again for getting in touch
best wishes
Anne
Hi Anne
Enjoyed your discussions with Jon and Sonya this morning. I did hear you mention researching online newspapers. I assume you are already quite familiar with the National Library newspaper archive. I just did a search for Constance Stokes and note that there are a large number of pending articles about the artist. Articles displayed in this way are usually available for viewing / editing within a couple of weeks. Perhaps there are some more clues there for you! I’m a big fan of the archive -as a trainee librarian it has been helpful on many occasions, but it is easy to lose a whole day just browsing old articles!
Regards
Russell
Hi Anne
I have followed your career with considerable interest, and it has been a delight to read The Lost Mother, and to learn about sthe splendid artist Constance Stokes, whom I had never heard of before, in spite of studying University Art History for three years!
I studied Modern British and American Art in the early 1980s and Richard Haese was my lecturer and tutor. He was writing Rebels and Precursors at the time. It may be unkind of me to recall one isolated comment made by him during the semester, but I am sure he commented that he was unable to find virtually any British and American artists of real note, other than American Georgia O’Keefe, (whose husband just happened to be an art dealer!)
I think male gender blindness is often an unconscious thing and only long term consciousness raising will make a widespread difference to women’s common experience in my opinion. In my working career, I taught middle school English, and in most years we used set texts by the same three male authors. I wrote to them saying I felt disturbed that the Australian literature passages chosen for study had only one female protagonist, and she had had miserable teenage sex once with a most unpromising boy and the poor kid became pregnant. She was also raped by sailors. They wrote me back a very nice letter and said they could not find any suitable female Australian authors even though we had stacks of them in print by then!
Author Anne Summers recently published new edition of “The lost Mother’
A.S. describes her relationship with her mother, including a mystery painting by Constance Stokes.
The book is more an exciting novel than fact, yet there is no info saying so.
Unless the reader was there, or knew Melbourne art history, would accept the story as the gospel truth.
Despite its failings as a truthful account,it is still a damn good read
Hello Anne
Having enjoyed your interview with Margaret Throsby I rushed to get ‘The Lost Mother’ and found it to be, as anticipated, both an informative as well as a pleasurable read. Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful art of Constance Stokes. Without your book it is unlikely that I would have discovered her. I proceeded to some internet “digging” (as is my habit) to find additional information on some of the minor characters mentioned. When researching Andrew Mortill and his wife, the Baroness Margarith Julia Wedel Jarlsberg, I discovered that the youngest sister of the Baroness, i.e Hildur Marschalck Wedel Jarlsberg was the mother of the late David McNicoll and grandmother of D.D. McNicoll and Penelope Nelson. If you did not come across this connection in your research, (it is, after all a very small aside to your main story) then I hope you nevertheless find this information interesting.
I’m looking forward to your next book, whatever its subject matter, as I am sure to enjoy it like I have all your writings.
Dear Anne,
Prompted by Hella Langer, I have now read your book “The Lost Mother” and am fascinated by the Mortills. My grandmother’s older sister Margarithe Julia Wedel Jarlsberg did indeed marry a Mortill, but my uncle R.R. McNicoll has him as Albert Elijah Mortil, a postal telegraphist at Cue. He says the marriage took place in West Australia, where MJ may have lived from 1895 when her mother Mary died. Her father was Norwegian, and although born a baron, was an ordinary goldminer when his daughters were born. Margarithe was the eldest, b.31 October 1868, in Victoria. If your ages on the Mortill boys are correct, and Andrew and Albert are one and the same, he must have been quite a bit younger than his bride. She would have been 31 or 32. Aristocratic women? Her father, exiled from his very proper Norwegian family in debt and disgrace, was a goldminer and her mother, before her marriage, was a servant, born in Cork – she immigrated on some program for young women from York. She had a hard life. Her sister in law thanked her for her loyalty to “my hardly done brother” (Germanic attempt at ‘sorely tried’?) My grandmother was a pupil teacher from the age of 12, which suggests that although the family valued education, there was not much money around. My uncle suggests Margarithe may have been striving for social status when she described her father on the marriage documents as a sharebroker. He says this is the only mention of such an occupation, though of course most miners would have dealt in mining shares from time to time.
Anyway – thank you for an interesting book. The fickle reputations of the art world and the doings at the Mortill mansion in its various forms are fascinating.
Dear Penny
thanks for getting in touch. I was going to contact you after hearing from Hella, via her comments on my website, that you are a descendant of Andrew Elijah Mortill. I can show you the records of his birth and family which will establish his name, and I have a tiny bit of information about where they lived in WA, but all my records are in storage at present as I am having my house painted so it will take a few weeks before I can get to them. It is an amazing story with new aspects, such as the McNicoll connection(!), turning up all the time.
best wishes
Anne