Henry H. Parker

19th Century landscape oil painting of figures harvesting next to a river

C1900

Born in 1858, Henry H. Parker was a British artist working at the end of the Victorian era. It is believed that he was born and lived in London, where he studied at Saint Martin's School of Art. Parker started his working life as an illustrator for the Illustrated London News, and by the age of 23 had become known as a landscape painter.

Parker's landscapes are lush and tranquil, frequently featuring a lone figure in a boat or walking down a country path. The scenes are often sunny and bright and the waters are calm and soothing.

Parker's style shows a great influence by the Impressionists, through his use of bright colors and quick brush strokes, but a definite understanding of the academic principles is also displayed. This style of painting was very typical for the late Victorian landscape artists who strove to incorporate the new Impressionist techniques in their more traditional paintings. Parker's landscapes and skies were created with a free but controlled application of paint, while the watery areas of his work were handled in the more traditional way — using glazes to create depth and reflections. His paintings are well composed, beautifully balanced and capture the landscape in its most pure and natural state. This colorful and free look was a welcome relief to the traditional Victorian landscapes of the previous decades and this, coupled with Parker's choice of subject matter, brought him great success.

Parker painted mainly in the South East of England, in Surrey, Sussex, and along the Thames where he frequently stayed at Goring and Streatley. He also painted in the Worcestershire area and in Wales. He would often sign and title his works, with their exact location, on the reverse.

Throughout his life, Parker enjoyed widespread popularity as an artist, and this is today witnessed by the number of his works consigned to galleries and museums throughout the world. From 1923 onward, Parker exhibited in the United States, especially in Chicago, where he was unable to meet the demand for his pictures. His paintings were also popular with the Canadians and were hung in all the leading clubs throughout Canada and the States.

Of final note, it is very interesting that Parker was one of only a handful of artists, of his caliber, to never exhibit at the major exhibition halls in England during his lifetime and whose popularity has increased over the years. Parker's works can be found in the following museums and galleries: Birmingham, Liverpool, Eastbourne, Hartlepool, Bradford (England); the Manitoba Club, Winnipeg, St James's, Montreal (Canada); and the Auckland Museum (New Zealand).

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(Biography provided by David Brooker Fine Art)