Sister
Osithe
n
1903, Osithe returned to the Mother House in Lachine for further
artistic training. While there, she completed copies of Millet's
" Reapers", Hoffman's "Rich
Young Man" and a number of original works 'from life',
including "Building the
Card House". Perhaps the best known of her works, "The
Immaculate Conception" was also painted in Quebec.
"The
Immaculate Conception" was a favourite of many of the pupils,
for they remember the large painting hanging in the Sister's Parlour
at the main entrance of the school. Sister Osithe based this image
of Mary on the work of the Baroque artist Bartolomez
Esteban Murillo. Murillo lived in Spain from 1617-1682, where
he painted many scenes of the peaceful, joyous aspects of spiritual
life. This theme certainly would have appealed to the community
at St. Ann's, and Sister Osithe chose the Immaculate Conception
as her model. This scene shows the Virgin Mary, supported on a crescent
moon. She is surrounded by putti, the little cherub-like children
floating about her in the mist. It is said that, if you look closely
at the faces of the putti, you can see Osithe and some of her students.
![](images/sistero_rich_man_small.jpg) |
|
Her kindness
was remembered. She was given a 68-piece set of Satsuma ware from
Japan, sent by the father of one of her pupils in appreciation.
Sister Osithe's modesty regarding her own painting was also noted.
Through her years in Victoria, she created many works of art, both
from her own designs and by copying the style and subject matter
of other artists. Works such as the crayon portrait of 1908, entitled
"Portrait of Bishop Christie" were put on display at Annual Exhibitions
held for the works of the Academy studio. She attracted publicity,
and the ladies of Victoria Society began to attend classes in the
visual arts under Osithe's direction, bringing in helpful income
from these aspiring artists and extending the positive influence
of the St. Ann's art programme beyond the school.
![](images/sistero_parcival_1_small.jpg) |
|
The final project
for the artistic Sister involved the "Parcival
Paintings", a series of 2 x 1 ½ foot paintings which
interpret Wolfrem Von Eachenback's epic poetry. Louis II comanded
the artist Edmund von Woerndle to execute an adaptation of the Holy
Grail story of Parcival, written during the Medieval period between
the years 1170 and 1220, through a series of murals for his palace
in Munich, Germany. The series of 18 original sketches were sent
to Osithe in the form of photographic slides by Father Bernard Hubbard,
of the Jesuits of Fordham University, in New York, who had acquired
them from Europe. She reproduced nine images from the series in
the form of paintings, late in her life.
More
on Sister Osithe
|