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ELIZABETH PATERSON (1917-1993)
Also known as Mrs Sidney Nolan, Mrs Glen Craigie, Elizabeth Craigie. Australian painter. Married Sidney Nolan 1938, later divorced. Married Glen Craigie 1946. The Nolans’ daughter Amelda was born 18 January 1941.

The painting 'Girl' (1941) was chosen by Amelda Langslow, daughter of Sidney Nolan, to contribute to the Nolan 100 It was painted when Nolan was aged twenty-four and depicts Elizabeth Paterson when she was pregnant.

Amelda Langslow reflects: "It is a deceptively simple, graphic and monochromatic image of pregnancy that draws your eye to the heart. As my young parents separated shortly after I was born, perhaps the grey palette represents pain but luckily the little heart prevailed. Although it was some years before my father and I were able to be together, we remained close until his death in 1992. I like to think that this painting, undistracted by detail, represents an almost ultrasound image of our origins."

Sidney Nolan, Girl, 1941, enamel paint on canvas on cardboard, 57.8 x 46cm, private collection, © The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust.

Both Sidney Nolan and Elizabeth Paterson studied at the National Gallery Art School, which was the direct predecessor to the Victorian College of the Arts. Paterson was an award-winning artist who was attempting to develop her own style and Nolan admired her work