A Life in Color and Form
Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Evelyn Page was a prolific painter and printmaker whose creative journey spanned seven decades. The youngest of seven children, she demonstrated an early aptitude for both music and drawing. After initially considering a career in bookkeeping, she enrolled at the Canterbury College School of Art as a junior pupil. There, she progressed through advanced classes under the guidance of several teachers, earning first-class honours and various prizes. Her early professional life was marked by her election to the Canterbury Society of Arts in 1922, and she later became a founding member of the modernist movement known as The Group in 1927.
Her artistic interests were diverse, encompassing landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and nudes. During her tenure as a teacher at the Canterbury College School of Art from 1930 to 1936, she instructed notable figures such as Bill Sutton. Her stylistic evolution was shaped by international travel, including a trip to Europe in 1936 where she encountered the works of the French Post Impressionists, leading her to adopt the use of pure colour. Later, her work was influenced by the teachings of Kokoschka in Salzburg, Austria.
Legacy and Recognition
Throughout her career, Page achieved significant professional standing within the New Zealand art community. Her contributions were recognized through several prestigious honors, including:
In addition to her teaching and painting, she was a foundation member of the New Zealand Society of Artists. Her life was deeply connected to the artistic circles of Christchurch and Wellington, and her work remains held in collections such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
