Madge Tennent | |
|---|---|
 Madge Tennent, 1948 | |
| Born | Madeline Grace Cook June 22, 1889 Dulwich, South London, England |
| Died | February 5, 1972 (aged 82) Honolulu, Hawaiʻi |
| Nationality | British, naturalized American in 1936 |
| Education | Académie Julian, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Julian Ashton |
| Known for | Painting, drawing, mural, sculpture |
| Movement | Hawaiian Modernism |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Madge Tennent (née Madeline Grace Cook; June 22, 1889 – February 5, 1972) was a naturalized American artist, born in England, raised in South Africa, and trained in France. She ranks among the most accomplished and globally renowned artists ever to have lived and worked in Hawaiʻi.
A child prodigy, Tennent spent her formative teenage years in Paris, where she honed technical mastery under the tutelage of William-Adolphe Bouguereau at the Académie Julian; simultaneous exposure to the city's leading avant-garde artists, including Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso, stoked her pioneering vision. Having served as an art educator in South Africa, New Zealand, and British Samoa, she settled in Honolulu with her husband and children in 1923.
Tennent's prolific output spanned paintings, drawings, and sculpture. Her reverent fascination with Hawaiian women inspired the sweeping aesthetic quest that would culminate in an iconic signature style: enormous paintings of voluptuous female figures that synthesized brilliant, swirling hues into graceful, harmonious compositions. A prominent figure on the international circuit, Tennent exhibited to critical and popular acclaim around the world. At the time of her death, many critics considered her the most important individual contributor to Hawaiian art in the 20th century.[1]
- ^ "The History of Today: 150 Years". Honolulu Advertiser. 5 February 2006.