Boating Scene (Marseilles)

Bessie Gibson studied painting and exhibited in Brisbane before setting out by herself for Europe in 1905. She had previously toured with her family a few years earlier and her father had promised to support her for three years during this second trip. Gibson remained overseas for 38 years exhibiting at the Royal Academy, Old Salon, and other art societies. The intimacy of her work, being influenced to an extent by Whistler and her American teacher in Paris, Edwin Scott, and its consistent high quality, make some difficulty with dating, but many harbour scenes on wood panel were painted in the 1920s.