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Permanent Exhibition: Marie-Louise Pierrepont
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This unusual exhibition was conceived by Lady
Rozelle Raynes, Marie-Louise's daughter, not just
as a tribute to her mother, but as a reflection
of the energetic and varied life of an artist
whose work spans more than 75 years and which
was inspired by experiences in many widely different
surroundings.
Marie-Louise
Roosevelt Butterfield was born in Ghent in 1889,
the only child of Sir Frederick and Lady Butterfield
of Cliffe Castle, Keighley, Yorkshire. During
her long life Marie-Louise was enormously productive
as an artist. From her early years, at art school
in Paris, until her death in 1984 she worked with
a range of contemporary media, including pencil,
crayon, pastel, water-colour and oils.
By
the time that the family moved to Paris in 1905,
Sir Frederick had determined that Marie-Louise
should study art and as it was apparent that she
had the talent to follow this path, she was enrolled
at the Julienne School of Art in her early teens. The
artistic disciplines imposed on her during the
formative years of her studies precluded the use
of any medium but pencil. The benefits of this
restriction are easily visible in her early portraits
which display a remarkable technical ability and
sensitivity for such a young student. Marie-Louise
produced portraits throughout her life and some
can be identified as relatives, and friends of
the family.
As Marie-Louise's styles broadened, so did the range of subjects which inspired her. From 1917 her pictures reflect every aspect of her active life. Her enjoyment of the many places she visited is demonstrated in the lively paintings of diverse destinations such as Italy, Yugoslavia, and North Africa. These works include, not only formal pictures, but also informal water-colour sketches encompassing small, intimate detail.
When Marie-Louise moved to Thoresby Park, she produced a series of affectionately observed and confidently painted interiors.
Both these and the water-colours of life on the Estate in wartime, provide a fascinating visual and historic record of Thoresby life. |
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