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A retrospective of Hugh Ramsay's work at the National Gallery of Australia shines a light on one of Australia's most talented artists

Sally Pryor
Updated November 24 2019 - 6:26am, first published November 22 2019 - 12:00pm

When Hugh Ramsay set out to paint a portrait of his baby sister Jessie, he was just 20 years old and already a rising star in the Melbourne art world. The portrait - close-up, front on, showing Jessie looking quizzical, and comfortable - is as frank and moving as any lovingly framed snapshot of a young girl today, one with long blond hair and frank blue eyes. Her white dress, sumptuous blue satin ribbon and big hat could easily be a dress-up. It could, in other words, have been painted yesterday.

Sally Pryor

Sally Pryor

Features Editor

As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in.

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