Before we begin, the readers must be aware that there are limited sources about the life of the British painter since John Atkinson Grimshaw seems to have not kept any records or journals of his own. Nevertheless, we decided to explore this underestimated painter who deserved to be esteemed more.
John Atkinson Grimshaw (6 September 1836 – 13 October 1893) a self-taught artist from the Victorian era, is best known for his moonlit landscape paintings. Atkinson Grimshaw was a descendant of Edward Grimshaw, a member of an important Grimshaw family from the 17th century.
Edward Grimshaw married Dorytye Raner in 1602, and consequently, caused to start the line of Grimshaws in Yorkshire, which is one of the largest pieces of documentation of the lineage of Grimshaws.
Life of John Atkinson Grimshaw
John Atkinson Grimshaw was born in Leeds on 6 September 1836 to Mary Atkinson and David Grimshaw. In 1856 at the age of 19, Grimshaw married his cousin Frances Theodosia Hubbarde (1835–1917). Frances gave birth to 15 children, but only a few reached adulthood since infant deaths were common in that period due to lack of hygiene.
Since he named all of his children after the mythical characters in Tennyson’s poems, We know Tennyson was Grimshaw’s favorite poet.
On the other hand, Grimshaw’s father was a policeman, although, in 1848, he made a shift and began to work with the Great Northern Railway Company. Atkinson Grimshaw, too, worked at the Great Northern Railway as a clerk. The urge, however, to become an artist took over him, and in 1861 at age 24, he quit his job to seek a career in fine art. His parents were strict Baptists and disapproved of this shift. There are stories about how his mother once tore down his paintings. Regardless, Grimshaw kept painting, and today we have the honour to cherish his art.
Art by John Atkinson Grimshaw
It was 1861 when Grimshaw began his journey as a painter. In his first year as a junior artist, most of Grimshaw’s paintings consisted of still-lifes, and Grimshaw was keen to paint nature and birds. He kept painting dead birds to give a sense that even in death, there is beauty to embrace (see; A Dead Linnet, 1862).
After starting his career, only a year later, an opportunity was given to him by the Patronage of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society for Grimshaw to exhibit his paintings.
Blue Plaque by Leeds Civic Trust
Within a short time, Grimshaw became notable for his paintings which led him to financially a better way of living. In 1866, he and his wife Frances moved into a semi-detached villa in Headingley, a suburb of Leeds. Later, the villa would be assembled with a blue plaque that serves as a historical marker to commemorate the link between the location and a reputed person.
In 1870, he already accomplished to rent a Jacobean house at Knostrop Old Hall, a 17th-century mansion that would be the subject of several of Grimshaw’s paintings later. Below you will see one of these paintings.
Nocturnal Atmosphere in John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Monochromic Paintings
The seaside of Scarborough influenced Grimshaw’s artworks, and he soon began to paint some of his reputable paintings that subjected to the sea, docks, ships, and sailors —mainly in a nocturnal atmosphere. The Lighthouse at Scarborough is a fine example of the said place. The painting was monochromic, a technique in which the artist would use only one colour with different shades.
It is for sure that the figures in most of Grimshaw’s paintings are vague, but the artist was keen on laying stress on the working class, which led him to use sharp-edged lines and contrast. Nightfall on the Thames is an example of his works in which Grimshaw stressed the sailors in sharp-edged lines while the rest of the composition develops a higher value with softer brush strokes. Needless to say, this painting is just another monochromic work by the British artist.
John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Exhibitions and Studio
Although Grimshaw became an efficient painter within time, he exhibited only 6 of his works between 1874 and 1886; five paintings at the Royal Academy and one at Grosvenor Gallery. He sold most of his works to private patrons.
Lionel Lambourne, an art historian, suggested Grimshaw had rented a studio in Chelsea in the 1880s and that James Abbott McNeill Whistler, an American painter, had visited him there and saw Grimshaw’s moonlit townscapes, which he would later say;
“I considered myself the inventor of Nocturnes UNTIL I SAW GRIMMY’S MOONLIT PICTURES,”
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
There is, however, a distinctive difference between the style of Grimshaw and Whistler. Whistler’s nocturnal works are representations of Impressionism, while Grimshaw was keen to paint in a realistic vein.
“Sharply focused, almost photographic. The rain and mist, the puddles and smoky fog of late Victorian industrial England with great poetry.”
(Lionel Lambourne, L. “Victorian Painting,” London, Phaidon Press, 1999)
John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Landscape Paintings
British artist’s landscape works appeared with less vivid colours, and some even are monochromic. Most of his landscapes consist of moonlit night scenes of docks, suburban streets, cities and towns. His favourite locations were Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Whitby and his hometown Leeds.
John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Townscape Paintings
Grimshaw’s townscape paintings are distinguished by their gloomy, hazy gas-lit streets. Despite this dark atmosphere, the misty moonlight and streetlights in his paintings allure and welcome the beholder. As the English historian, Philip J. Waller stated in his book Town, City and Nation;
“...paintings of dampened gas-lit streets and misty waterfronts conveyed an eerie warmth as well as alienation in the urban scene.”
Philip J. Waller
John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Interior Paintings
Along with his landscapes, Grimshaw also focused on interior scenes in the 1870s. Il Penseroso is a perfect example of this. He used vivid colours, — a distinguished modality of Pre-Raphaelites, and depicted an interior scene of a glasshouse. He placed his wife Frances, encircled with various foliage plants, in the middle of the painting. Frances, wearing a white gown with a white hat of high quality, takes the attention of the viewer.
Another eminent painting by Grimshaw is Dulce Domum. Again his wife Frances dressed in a white gown is in the middle of the painting sitting on a chair. On the right of the canvas, we depict another young woman, with a flamboyant hat on her head, playing the pianoforte in the background. On the reverse of this painting, Grimshaw wrote, “mostly painted under great difficulties.” The richly decorated room captures the eyes of the viewer. The walls of the room are surrounded by paintings —mainly portraits.
Pre-Raphaelite Influence on John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Paintings
Grimshaw was heavily influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. The primary purpose of this art movement is about focusing on vivid colours and lighting and shadows. Grimshaw remained true to this style when painting mythological characters.
Aesthetic Movement Influence on John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Paintings
Grimshaw became influenced by the Aesthetic movement, particularly by the works of James Tissot, which led him to focus more on interior scenes in the 1870s. Among the townscape paintings by Grimshaw, On Hampstead Hill is regarded as one of the finest by art historians. The diverse light sources bathe the landscape. The changing light of twilight into the dusky night creates a spectacular atmosphere. The yellowish light Grimshaw used in this painting was loved so much that it eventually became a regular request by his middle-class patrons.
This Time Influence Comes From Poetry
Grimshaw was a huge admirer of literacy, particularly of poems by Tennyson and Longfellow. His love for the work of these poets led him to paint subjects from their poems. The Lady Shalott and Elaine are the most reputable works on these very subjects by Grimshaw.
The British artist was also fond of Roman and Greek mythologies.
Repetitions found in Grimshaw’s Paintings
Despite Grimshaw’s tedious repetition in his paintings, he is still capable to take the attention of the viewers with his unique colour palette and subtle details. Below, we see a few paintings with the same figure.
This repetition is also seen in his townscape paintings.
John Atkinson Grimshaw’s Technique
As we mentioned before, Grimshaw was particularly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. Grimshaw used the technique of painting on a white ground with various layers belonging to the Pre-Raphaelites. He painted thin layers of hued glow, which turned out as luminescence. Also, his fidelity to nature is also noteworthy since it is another influence by the Pre-Raphaelites. Despite these influences, Grimshaw had never been a Pre-Raphaelite.
The British painter also used the scumbling technique for the ground to create a broken colour effect. This technique is basically painting a subtle layer over the previous dried layer by using a dry brush with some paint. To avoid the colours mixing up, the artist would use a loose hand when applying this layer. Grimshaw also would add sand and other ingredients to the paint to get the effect he wished.
First Photographer Then Painter
Grimshaw was in fact already involved in the art field as a photographer before he became a painter. He only combined his photographic skills with painting which took his townscape works to a whole different level.
Moreover, his paintings have a realistic vein compared to the Pre-Raphaelites. According to his son, in order to get realistic, his father would use the technique of using camera lenses to project scenes onto canvas. (This technique was professedly used by Caravaggio).
By using this technique, Grimshaw would paint the same landscape over and over again with different subtle details. This is also the main reason for the repetition in his townscape works. Furthermore, due to his use of camera lenses, he was criticized by his peers who asserted it to be less craft, and some even claimed his works should not be approved as paintings at all.
Epilogue
John Atkinson Grimshaw, as a painter, was never enough granted credit for his works when compared with his counterparts. This is partly because there is not enough information about the life of the painter. Besides, Grimshaw was not interested in advertising himself as an artist. Fortunately, today he began to gain the recognition and value he deserved.
Although he has never been the first painter that came to mind, Grimshaw’s paintings were imitated in his lifetimes, such as by H. Meegan and Wilfred Jenkins. And even today, his works have been imitated by modern artists.
Some Trivia
Among his children, Arthur E. Grimshaw (1868–1913) and Louis H. Grimshaw (British, 1870-1944) also became painters. Just like their father, they painted moonlit townscapes and docks. His oldest son Arthur E. Grimshaw, however, drew the figures in sharp-edged lines (see; The Strand, 1899).
Both Grimshaw brothers’ artworks were not exhibited. We assume the reason why Arthur’s artworks were never exhibited might be that he was considered first a composer, then a painter.
Below are some of the works by Arthur E. Grimshaw.
Below are some of the works by Louis H. Grimshaw.
The painting illustrates the coronation celebrations for Edward VII. The ceremony was intended to be on the 26th of June 1902 at Westminster Abbey but the future King suffered an untimely attack of appendicitis the day before and the event was postponed. The coronation eventually took place on the 9th of August 1902 in London and festivities were resumed, as is evident in the present work.
Louis H. Grimshaw imitated his father’s well-known painting “The Mansion House”. Below you will see both versions of the painting; first one by father Grimshaw, second one by son Grimshaw.
Atkinson Grimshaw has entitled to the world as The Painter of the Moonlight. He certainly deserves to be attributed as such. In my humble opinion, I would say;
If there is one painting that makes a causal Victorian town look phenomenal, it certainly would be a painting done by John Atkinson Grimshaw.
Before closing up, here is a detailed analysis of Grimshaw’s Figure in the Moonlight.
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Until next time, stay with art…
References
The detailed information about John Atkinson Grimshaw’s ancestors and private photos of the artist and his family are courtesy of Mary Ferris —a descendant of John Atkinson Grimshaw, who has collaborated with Thomas Grimshaw —an American Grimshaw of the Grimshaw lineage, also the author of http://grimshaworigin.org/