Sunday 18 April 2010

Pictures of Britain by David Gentleman

'Reed-beds at Iken Cliff, with skeleton oak and Iken church 
(illustration from Ask The Fellows who cut the Hay)', 2009
The Fine Art Society / copyright  David Gentleman 

A lot of UK readers of this blog will be very familiar with the watercolours and drawings of topographical artist David Gentleman, who was 80 last month.

Many of his images are of landscape scenes and buildings around the UK - in books like David Gentleman's Britain (Phoenix Illustrated

I know the view of Iken Church in Suffolk which is pictured at the top of the page.  It stopped me in my tracks when I saw it and reminded me that it's one of those locations that I need to go back to!

You can see many more images of his work at:
  • 46 works (lithographs etc) online in the Tate Collection
  • in a new exhibition by the Fine Art Society in Bond Street and on their website David Gentleman at Eighty (24th March - 15th April) which unfortunately has just finished.  However you can still see the works online. I have sense that there has been no post-production mainpulation of the photographs - and wonder whether they were actually painted on grey paper or whether it was the lighting when the photographs were taken
  • at Cambridge Book and Print Gallery
You can also read about him and see some of his artwork in:
Theer doesn't appear to be a website - more's the pity.

     

    1 comment:

    vivien said...

    It was interesting to see more recent work by him (I didn't know if he was still alive)

    He was one of my earliest influences in pen and wash.

    I really admire the sound (but free) observational drawing underpinning his work and the lively line work.

    I have his Coast book, bought many years ago.