The Student - Madame Dolores Courtney
Uninhibited by convention, Hamnett led a Bohemian life that ended in tragic circumstances. Well-known in artistic circles, both in London and Paris, she painted portraits of her friends and fellow artists. Much of her work was unfortunately been lost. The Ferensâ portrait is of Madame Courtney, known as Moucha, a half-Spanish, half-Russian painter who, like Hamnett, was attached to the Omega Workshops. They were founded in 1913 by the painter and influential art critic, Roger Fry (1866-1934) for the design of furnishings and interiors. The aim was to help provide artists with a living. Our portrait shows the flat, angular patterning that typifies the Omega style, and is executed in Hamnettâs cool, unemphatic colours.
