Atkinson Grimshaw

Robertson, Alexander2012

Book

Total copies: 1

Summary

The paintings of Yorkshire-based artist Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-93) are well known and utterly distinctive. Yet the artist as a man is far less known that his beautiful images evoking moolit nights, the luminescence of cityscapes in winter dusks and great sailing vessels at anchor. His early landscapes were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's ideals of painstaking detail, but he later developed a distinctive kind of industrial landscape, lit by moonlight, gaslight, or both. These urban scenes were very popular with the public, particularly in the north of England where he did so much of his work, but less so with the official art world. In this comprehensive study of the artist, Robertson shows the full scope of Grimshaw's work - from the early paintings of the Lake District and Yorkshire landscapes to the townscapes, dockscenes, coastal views and richly colourful potrayals of sophisticated Victorian ladies. The author discusses the techniques of Grimshaw's art, and examines the many varieties of colour and mood that are captured in his paintings. He also assesses Grimshaw's place in Victorian art and society, comparing him with such contemporaries as James Tissot and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Many of Grimshaw's paintings are in private collections and are here reproduced for the first time, adding to the appeal of this book, not only to art lovers and general readers interested in Victorian art, but also to dealers and collectors. An appendix lists all the public collections that hold examples of the artist's work. Alexander Robertson was Senior Curator at Leeds Museuems and Galleries where he organised a major exhibition of Grimshaw's paintings that sparked a renewed interest in the artist's work.