The Sock Knitter

The Sock Knitter is a 1915 painting by the Australian artist Grace Cossington Smith. The painting depicts a woman, believed to be the artist's sister, knitting a sock. It was the first work by Cossington Smith to be exhibited and has been "acclaimed as the first post-impressionist painting to be exhibited in Australia."[1][2]

The figure is pressed forward onto the picture plane. Tightly constructed. The creamy impasto paint of the backgrounds holds the picture together. The sitter then holds the background together. Like a jigsaw. She is the pattern maker. There are echoing triangles everywhere.

— Julia Ritson, [3]

The Sock Knitter
ArtistGrace Cossington Smith
Year1915
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions61.8 cm × 51.2 cm (24.3 in × 20.2 in)
LocationArt Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

The work was included in the Follow the Flag exhibition held at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2015. Exhibition material stated that The Sock Knitter "has come to symbolise Australian women’s contribution to the [First World War] effort, which included knitting more than 1.3 million pairs of socks".[4]

The painting was acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1960.

References
  1. Thomas, Daniel (1988). "Smith, Grace Cossington (1892–1984)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 11. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  2. Cossington Smith, Grace (1915). "The Sock Knitter". AGNSW collection record. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. juliaritson1 (23 June 2011). "Grace Cossington Smith's The Sock Knitter". Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. "Follow the Flag: Australian Artists at War 1914 – 45". National Gallery of Victoria. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.


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