Cristina Asquith Baker facts for kids

Cristina Asquith Baker (1868–1960) was an Australian artist. She was famous for her paintings and lithographs (a type of printmaking). She learned from Frederick McCubbin, a key artist of the Australian impressionist Heidelberg school. But Cristina was very independent. She did not stick to just one art style. She studied art twice in other countries, in Paris and London. This helped her learn many different art forms, like lithography and even carpet-making.

Early Life and Learning Art

Cristina Asquith Baker was born in London, England, in 1868. Her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1870. Her father was a clergyman, so her family moved around Victoria a lot. She went to Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne. There, she became lifelong friends with another artist, Ada May Plante.

After school, Cristina started her art training. She kept learning new things over many years. She studied in Australia, Paris, and London. Here are some of the places she learned:

• Mid-1880s: Port Melbourne School of Art.
• 1888: National Gallery of Victoria Art School. Frederick McCubbin was her drawing teacher.
• Around 1890: Melbourne School of Art. She won free lessons for a year.
• 1895: She went back to the National Gallery of Victoria Art School.
• 1903: She studied at the Académie Julian in Paris.
• 1904: Two of her artworks were shown at the important Paris Salon.
• 1914: She learned lithography in London.

Her Art Career

In 1896, Cristina finished her main art training. She started her professional art career in Melbourne. Her first public art show was that year with the Victorian Artists Society.

In 1902, she left Australia to study and work in Paris and London. She sold her paintings for good prices. But she only earned enough money to live simply. So, she returned to Melbourne in 1905. Back home, she taught painting and drawing classes in her studio. This helped her earn more money from her art.

In 1909, Cristina was chosen to be on the Council of the Victorian Artists Society.

From 1912 to 1914, she went to Paris and London again. While in London, a gallery asked her to paint only roses. But Cristina loved painting landscapes (pictures of nature). She had fond memories of the country town Seymour from her childhood. In 1914, she said she would not give up painting landscapes just to paint roses.

World War I started in 1914. Cristina returned to Melbourne and stayed there for the rest of her life. She did visit South Australia to be with her sister for a few years. She also went to Alice Springs to paint when she was 87 years old!

In 1932, she entered two portraits into the Archibald Prize competition. This is a very famous art award in Australia. She was chosen as one of the finalists!

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Cristina's artworks were shown in many exhibitions. Some of these include:

• 1896: With the Victorian Artists Society.
• 1898: At the Royal Academy in London. Her painting "Quiet of the Cottage" was shown there. This same painting was also shown in the Paris Salon in 1904.
• 1906–1912: She regularly showed her work with the Victorian Artists Society and the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
• 1911: With the Yarra Sculptors and the Melbourne Athenaeum.
• 1913: Baillie Gallery, London. This was a solo show just for her art. It featured Australian landscapes, portraits, and flowers.
• 1914: Miss Nicholl's Studio, England. Another solo exhibition.
• 1977: Jim Alexander Gallery, Victoria. An exhibition called The printmakers mainly of the thirties: important women artists. It included Cristina's work and other artists like Violet Teague and A.M.E. Bale.
• 1978: Duvance Galleries. An exhibition called "A Collection of Australian Women Artists, 1900–1970".
• 1986: Jim Alexander Gallery, Victoria. Another solo show for Cristina.
• 2018: S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney. An exhibition called "Intrepid Women: Australian Women Artists in Paris, 1900–1950".

Death and Her Art Legacy

Cristina Asquith Baker passed away in 1960 at the age of 92 in Surrey Hills. She kept painting until the very end of her life.

Her beautiful artworks are kept in several important art galleries. These include:

• Australian National Gallery
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• Cruthers Collection of Women's Art at the University of Western Australia
• National Gallery of Victoria