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Fishing on a quiet backwater |
Artist: Henry John Yeend King
British painter
21 August 1855-1924
Henry John Yeend King was an important Victorian genre and landscape artist. He was born in London on August 21, 1855 and began his education as a choirboy at the Temple Church. One of the artist's earliest recollections was of being locked in the building one afternoon after practice: "I had to spend the night in a cabin built of pew cushions, while my father was inquiring at every hospital in London. After three weeks' rest with a bad cold, on going back to my choral duties I was summoned to an interview with a Bencher, who, after regaling me with cake and wine, presented me with five shillings for having been a 'good boy,' and 'for not having thrown my boots through one of the stained-glass windows.' The idea of doing such a thing had never occurred to me."
His specialty was scenes of rustic genre and the countryside - almost never showing the heavily industrialized cities. His paintings depict pretty farm girls (often using his own daughter as a model) at work in the fields or on the farm - much like the French Realist artist Julien Dupré; or women at rest in tranquil landscapes or cottage gardens.
In 1881 he married Edith Lilian Atkinson and they had one daughter - Lilian (who became an artist). In appearance Yeend King was a contrast to the conventional idea of an artist, being clean-shaven, wearing his hair short, and having a genial smile and a great fund of humor. Like most painters, however, he was a real Bohemian, with a wonderful collection of funny stories, which he told well. He was seldom without a snuff-box, although he himself was not a constant snuff-taker.
In 1879, he was elected to the Royal Society of British Artist (RBA) and in 1886 he was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolor (of which he later became vice-president). He was also a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Oil-Colors and was a frequent exhibitor at all the major exhibition halls; showing 115 works at the RBA, 38 at the RI and 94 at the Royal Academy. Yeend King also exhibited paintings throughout Europe and the United States - winning medals in Paris, Berlin and Chicago.
He died on June 10, 1924 at the age of 68. (source)
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Crabbing |
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Gathering poppies |
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A walk in the country |
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May Day |
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On the dunes |
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Their favourite spot |
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Afternoon picnic |
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Crossing the road |
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At the gate |
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Twas the night before Christmas |
Mmm, these are quite nice! I especially love country scenes (less building clutter, more peacefulness). Do you like them, Jo?
ReplyDeleteI like most of them Clara - in particular "On the Dunes" (which I find quite a modern painting in some ways), Crabbing and the very top painting (Fishing) -I also really like "at the Gate" (it reminds me a quiet spring day with a little breeze, chatting under a tree - a little romantic I know!). I don't really like the winter Christmas one very much.
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I own paintings by him (none of the ones you featured) I thought the Christmas scene was interesting because it was a departure from what he usually does.
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