Albert Goodwin

British 19th C watercolour of River Witham, Lincoln Cathedral beyond by Goodwin

1875

Albert Goodwin was a notable English landscape painter, specializing in watercolors.

Goodwin was born in Maidstone, in Kent, the son of a builder and one of nine children. After leaving school, he became an apprentice draper. His exceptional artistic ability was recognized at an early age and he went on to study with the Pre-Raphaelite artists Arthur Hughes and Ford Madox Brown with the latter predicting that he would become one of the greatest landscape painters of the age.

At the age of 15, Goodwin’s first painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy. He became an associate member of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) in 1876. He was championed by famed art critic John Ruskin, who took him on a tour of Europe, where he made many sketches from nature, which were later turned into watercolors. During his lifetime, he traveled extensively throughout Britain and Europe, and visited many other countries.

Goodwin was a prolific artist, producing over 800 works and continuing to paint well into his 80s. His wide variety of landscape subjects reflected his love of travel and showed the influence of Turner, with whom he felt a strong affinity. In later works, Goodwin developed experimental techniques, such as using ink over watercolor, to achieve atmospheric lighting effects. His works are also an important record of social history.

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