Edward Owen (artist)
Encyclopedia
Edward Owen was a Welsh
artist; the son of minor nobility from Penrhos
on Anglesey
, who held an apprenticeship
in London
with leading 18th Century artist Thomas Gibson
.
Whilst Owen himself never got the chance to become a prominent figure in the art world, his letters home provide a complete primary historical record of 1700s life in the London art scene, and are responsible for leaving him an important figure today. Although a promising artist, some time during 1732 he was mugged and badly beaten while returning late at night from Covent Garden
. He survived but never fully recovered from his injuries, which left him mostly blind and deaf. He returned home, and his subsequent works are nowhere near the quality of his earlier London pieces.
Owen died in 1741, apparently from consumption
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
artist; the son of minor nobility from Penrhos
Penrhos, Anglesey
Penrhos is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales.The 18th century artist and letter-writer Edward Owen was from Penrhos....
on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, who held an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with leading 18th Century artist Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson (artist)
Thomas Gibson was an English painter and copyist. He was an established portrait painter by 1711, when he was appointed a founding director of Godfrey Kneller's Academy in London; among his pupils there was George Vertue...
.
Whilst Owen himself never got the chance to become a prominent figure in the art world, his letters home provide a complete primary historical record of 1700s life in the London art scene, and are responsible for leaving him an important figure today. Although a promising artist, some time during 1732 he was mugged and badly beaten while returning late at night from Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. He survived but never fully recovered from his injuries, which left him mostly blind and deaf. He returned home, and his subsequent works are nowhere near the quality of his earlier London pieces.
Owen died in 1741, apparently from consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.