Journal of Fine Arts Volume 1, Issue 2, 2018, PP 8-15 A Portrait of Edith Maryon, Artist and Anthroposophist John Paull Geography & Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments & Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia *Corresponding Authors: John Paull, Geography & Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments & Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia ABSTRACT The lost and last portrait of Edith Maryon (1872-1924), presented in the present paper, was painted by the Italian/Australian artist Ernesto Genoni (1885-1975) at Dornach in 1924. Maryon was appointed by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) at the Christmas Conference of the Anthroposophy Society, December 1923, as the leader of the Section for Sculptural Arts (akna Fine Art). She was an English sculptor who worked with Steiner to create the massive timber sculpture, ‘The Representative of Humanity’, now on display in the Goetheanum, the headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society, at Dornach, Switzerland. Ernesto Genoni trained at the renowned Brera Academy of Fine Art in Milan. He first met Maryon in 1920 on his first visit to Dornach. Genoni returned to Dornach at about the time of the Christmas Conference, December 1923, he successfully applied to Steiner to be in the inaugural First Class of the School of Spiritual Science. Genoni remained in Dornach for most of the year 1924. Edith Maryon died on 2 May 1924 reportedly of tuberculosis (TB). Genoni left Dornach only after Steiner withdrew from public life and retreated to his sick bed (on 28 September 1924). Genoni took the art that he had created at Dornach back to Milan, Italy, and some of it went on to Australia when he emigrated in 1926. Genoni’s portrait of Maryon has remained in the Genoni family in Milan since that time but with the subject long forgotten (or perhaps never known to the family). Genoni painted portraits of significant women in his life, including his sister Rosa and his niece Fanny (in Milan, Italy), and his partner Ileen Macpherson and his niece Anne Fiedler (in Melbourne, Australia). The portrait of this paper, is now identified as of Edith Maryon, thereby reuniting the artwork with its subject, and dating it in the last four months of Maryon’s life (January to April 1924). Keywords: Anthroposophy, sculptor, Brera Academy of Fine Art, Milan, Italy, Dornach, Switzerland, Goetheanum, Australia, How-Old.net INTRODUCTION in the final year of her life is presented in this paper (Figure 1). Edith Maryon (1872-1924) was a sculptural artist attracted to the ideas and teachings of the Austrian Maryon studied sculpture at the Royal College New Age philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) of Art, London and exhibited her work at the Royal Academy (Halle & Wilkes, 2010). In and his spiritual movement, Anthroposophy. She Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy she was “one of the closest colleagues and pupils of discovered her raison d’être. Rudolf Steiner” (Halle & Wilkes, 2010, p.82). Maryon wrote to Steiner that “for some years I Maryon was appointed by Steiner as the leader have always felt there is something for me to do, of the Section for Sculptural Arts (akna Section and that sometime I shall meet the Master who for Fine Art) at the Christmas Conference of the will tell me what it is and explain some of the Anthroposophy Society at Dornach in December things that have puzzled me so much. For a long 1923, a position which she accepted. Maryon time I searched … and when I saw you in Berlin I knew at last I was right about the Master … is was unanimously elected as the vice-president of the Anthroposophy Society at the General there really any definite thing for me to do … if there is may I know now what it is?” (letter, 1 Assembly on 21 January 1924 (Rudolf Steiner Jan 1913, reproduced in Raab, 1993, pp.231-2). Verlag, 1990). A previously unknown portrait of Maryon painted by the accomplished She later wrote to Steiner that: “I have quite definitely decided in my own mind, that when I Italian/Australian artist Ernesto Genoni at Dornach Journal of Fine Arts V1 ● I2 ● 2018 8 A Portrait of Edith Maryon, Artist and Anthroposophist leave England in May, it will be altogether, and our unskilled hands could do no harm” (Adams, with your permission I hope to entirely cast in 1958, p.10). my lot with the Anthroposophy Society” (letter Kaufmann relates that Steiner was “anxious for reproduced in Selg, 2006, p.37). an English edition of the book [on the Threefold Months later, from Munich, Maryon wrote to Social Order], and as no one else was at hand, Steiner: “I must find some definite work to do, Miss Maryon had undertaken to translate it. In or be forced to return to England. There is a style - like many of the attempted translations of feeling that perhaps there may be something for Dr Steiner’s works in those days - it was me to do here, so I will not go back unless impossible … and we said so frankly. We were absolutely obliged. You will see that it is then invited to Dornach to go into the whole necessary for me to come to a conclusion about question” (Adams, 1958, p.10). Kaufmann went the kind of work I will do during the rest of my on to extemporaneously translate many of life, and I do want some advice … Your pupil, L Steiner’s lectures, for example at Oxford and Edith C Maryon” (letter, 10 Jun 1913, Torquay, as well as books, for example Steiner’s reproduced in Selg, 2006, pp.45-6).Maryon Agriculture Course (Paull, 2011a, 2011b, 2018) arrived at Dornach, Switzerland, in January Edith Maryon and Rudolf Steiner carried on an 1914 (Halle & Wilkes, 2010). These were very extensive exchange of correspondence early days for the project of relocating Anthroposophy headquarters to Switzerland. It beginning in 1912, when Maryon wrote to was propitious timing since six months later the Steiner on 16 October from London. Steiner Great War would begin and engulf Europe and wrote to Maryon from his travels including from the world in catastrophe. Maryon was a Ilkley, Penmaenmawr, London, Stuttgart, trailblazer: “There was hardly any other artist Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Mannheim, Vienna, coming to work in Dornach before her capable Prague, Amsterdam, Kristiania (Oslo), and The in the way Edith Maryon was of sacrificing - Hague. Steiner’s salutation to Maryon that is, largely giving up her own deeply rooted progressed in the course of 1919 to 1920 from style, born out of the aesthetics of Greece, in “Mein liebes Fraulein E. Maryon” (My dear favour of a new Mystery art” (Halle & Wilkes, Miss E Maryon) to “Mein liebes Fraulein Edith 2010, p.74). Maryon!” (My dear Miss Edith Maryon) to “Meine liebe Edith Maryon!)“ (My love Edith The next decade was a period of intense industry and creativity for the English sculptor, Maryon!) (Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1990). a period in which she found her life’s purpose. Theirs was an artistic partnership: “Rudolf “Edith Maryon … was helping him [Steiner] Steiner stood, day after day, beside his colleague with the Goetheanum building and above all in the high ceilinged sculpture studio. During with the great wooden sculpture … this time they not only worked with their hands, ‘Representative of Humanity’ … Miss Maryon but also conversed intensively on every throughout those years was one of his closest imaginable subject - from art, through politics to collaborators … the studio in which the work things of the deepest concern. Over and above was going on became his study for a great part this his studio had become for Rudolf Steiner a of the day. Here he received his visitors, and she refuge of inner peace in which - well protected was acting very largely as his secretary” from visitors by Edith Maryon - he could both (Adams, 1958, p.10). do a lot of esoteric work and also relax” (Halle George Kaufmann (he later changed his name to & Wilkes, 2010, p.82). Adams, in 1940) related a visit to Dornach after At the Christmas Conference of the the war: “We were received in the most friendly Anthroposophy Society, December 1923, way by the Dornach members and above all by Rudolf Steiner appointed Maryon as the leader Miss Maryon herself. She gave us mallet and of the Section for Sculptural Arts - a position chisel and let us help with parts of the sculpture that she accepted. The following month, at the where there was much superfluous wood and General Assembly of the Goetheanum, Maryon 9 Journal of Fine Arts V1 ● I2 ● 2018 A Portrait of Edith Maryon, Artist and Anthroposophist was elected unanimously vice president (Rudolf Great War in and out of Italian military prisons Steiner Verlag, 1990). and serving as an orderly at a military hospital In her will (of 2 Feb 1923) she describes Rudolf in Verona treating wounded Italian soldiers Steiner as “my best friend and revered teacher” (Paull, 2014). (meinem besten Freund und verehrten Lehrer) Genoni spent most of 1924 at Dornach. He (Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1990, p.251). She died applied successfully to Rudolf Steiner to join the after an illness, said to be tuberculosis (TB), of First Class of the School of Spiritual Science. more than a year on 2 May 1924. Under the tutelage of Rudolf Steiner, Genoni In his memorial tribute, Steiner stated of Edith explored art in the Anthroposophic style. He Maryon that: “When we began to build the recalled that Steiner “gave me some good advice Goetheanum, she was one of the first to devote concerning the new impulse in Art, especially in herself to the work … With a perfect control of the field of painting” (Genoni, c.1970, p.8).