Land Animal Drawings and Watercolors

This late 19th-century gouache by British artist Joseph Knight (1837-1909) depicts a gentle moorland landscape with cattle. Knight was primarily known for his naturalistic depictions of North Wales. Raised amid the hurried industrious streets of Chorlton-Upon-Medlock in Manchester, Knight was obliged to pursue a career at one of its many cotton mills. His father, also Joseph Knight, was a mill engineer and would’ve expected his son to follow suit. It appears he was sent to work at the age of four - unthinkable today, but not uncommon in the 1840s. In around 1841, Knight was involved in an accident, which resulted in the loss of his right arm. This probably coincided with him being sent, together with his siblings, to stay with relatives, Thomas and Jane Knight, also of Chorlton. Evidently, following this, he undertook a change of direction, taking the first steps on a path to artistry. During the mid to late 19th century, landscape paintings grew in popularity partly due to the desires of a new middle-class buyer but also as a tonic for increasing urbanisation. And perhaps there’s no better example of an artist who understood the restorative qualities of nature than Joseph Knight. In his early teens, he gained employment at a photography studio, primarily assisting with portraiture. With a keen eye for composition, his skills flourished and were met with much approval from staff and customers alike. It was here that he first met with Mr. Henry Crowley who was so taken by the boy’s aptitude that he encouraged him to seek a career as a painter. Crowley funded his education, enrolling him at the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, where the emphasis was on honing one’s draughtsmanship in a strict environment via diligent study and life drawing. With his technique now evolved, commissions were forthcoming - both as a painter and photographer. In the 1861 census, now married, he records his occupation as ‘Photographic artist and painter in oil’. It’s plausible that he was involved in adding tints to photographic portraits during this period while also working as a painter. As recognition of his development, in 1868, he was elected as a full member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, and a year later debuted at London’s Royal Academy with ‘Evening, Near Quimper, Brittany’ and ‘Breton Peasants’. It was around this time that he came to the attention of several of his younger contemporaries who viewed his naturalistic approach as altogether fresher and entirely modern. In a quiet rebellion against their formulaic training, they undertook to paint directly from nature, ‘en plein air’, without the rigour of academic constraints. The group, which included Joshua Anderson Hague...

She was born in 1985 in Palmanova and lives and works in Aquileia, in the province of Udine. She specialized in the restoration of paintings and wooden sculptures in Mantua, a profession she still pursues today, while continuing to experiment with other art forms such as painting, sculpture and illustration. Her passion and activity as a naturalistic and scientific illustrator began in 2002, when she collaborated with medical examiner Gianpiero Ceci, producing a series of anatomical-surgical plates to accompany her publications, mainly related to the field of obstetrics and gynecology. In 2010, through the European Institute of Design in Milan, she had the opportunity to meet and get to know the illustrator Massimo Demma, who allowed her to refine the method and painting techniques used in scientific investigation and the rendering of natural data, as well as further knowledge in the field of naturalistic illustration. She had the opportunity to publish some naturalistic plates for the publishing house Il Prato...

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 21.5 x 29.5 Frame Size: 28.5 x 36.5 Medium: Watercolor 1978 "Augus and Pump Jack" Biography Michael F...