John Atkinson Grimshaw | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 6 September 1836 Leeds, England |
| Died | 13 October 1893 (aged 57) Knostrop, Leeds, England |
| Resting place | Woodhouse Cemetery, Woodhouse, Leeds |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse |
Frances Hubbard (m. 1856) |
John Atkinson Grimshaw (6 September 1836 – 13 October 1893) was an English Victorian-era artist best known for his nocturnal scenes of urban landscapes.[1][2] He was called a "remarkable and imaginative painter" by the critic and historian Christopher Wood in Victorian Painting (1999).[3]
Grimshaw's love for realism stemmed from a passion for photography, which would eventually lend itself to the creative process. Though entirely self-taught, he is known to have openly used a camera obscura or lenses to project scenes onto canvas, which made up for his shortcomings as a draughtsman and his imperfect knowledge of perspective. This technique, which Caravaggio and Vermeer were suspected to have also used in secret, was condemned by a number of his contemporaries who believed it demonstrated less skill than painting by eye,[4] with some claiming that his paintings appeared to "show no marks of handling or brushwork", while others "were doubtful whether they could be accepted as paintings at all".[5] However, many recognised his mastery of colour, lighting and shadow, as well as his unique ability to provoke strong emotional responses in the viewer. James McNeill Whistler, whom Grimshaw worked with in his Chelsea studios, stated, "I considered myself the inventor of nocturnes until I saw Grimmy's moonlit pictures."[6]
His early paintings were signed "JAG", "J. A. Grimshaw", or "John Atkinson Grimshaw", though he finally settled on "Atkinson Grimshaw".
- ^ Alexander Robertson, Atkinson Grimshaw, London, Phaidon Press, 1996 ISBN 0-7148-2525-5
- ^ H. J. Dyos and Michael Wolff, eds., The Victorian City: Images and Realities, 2 Volumes, London, Routledge, 1973.
- ^ Christopher Wood, Victorian Painting, Boston, Little, Brown & Co., 1999; p. 173
- ^ "Looking back at artist John Atkinson Grimshaw on his birthday/website=Trinity House Paintings". 6 September 2017.
- ^ "John Atkinson Grimshaw, Guildhall and Richard Green Galleries, review". The Telegraph.
- ^ "John Atkinson Grimshaw – the Inventor of Nocturnes/website=Draw Paint Academy". 19 May 2019.