Intrepid women artists in China, who documented country 1 painting at a time, almost forgotten today
- They have faded from view now, but Anna Hotchkis and Mary Mullikin were intrepid artists who documented China in paintings before World War II tore them apart
From the 1930s through to the 70s, the Scottish artist Anna M. Hotchkis’ vibrant watercolours of China and Hong Kong were much sought after and regularly exhibited.
So, too, were those of her friend and companion, the American artist Mary Augusta Mullikin.
The two women travelled across China together, shared a hutong studio in Beijing and both painted numerous scenes of Beijing and northern China. They also collaborated on several books.
Today, the pair are rarely remembered. Hotchkis still retains something of a reputation in her native Scotland thanks to her involvement with the Kirkcudbright Artists’ Town community of the 1920s, whereas Mullikin is now almost totally overlooked.
Yet whenever their often uncredited work appears on Instagram or Flickr, it is shared, admired and reposted by a younger generation unaware of who either Anna Hotchkis or Mary Mullikin were.
Those posting the paintings might be surprised by the incredible lives lived by what the art establishment critics of the time dubbed the two “lady artists”.
