John William North
Encyclopedia
John William North, ARA
, RWS (1 Jan 1842 – 20 December 1924) was an English landscape painter and illustrator, a member of the so-called Idyllic school
of artists.
in London
, England. His father Charles North was a draper
who together with his wife Fanny kept a shop in the area. They had three children apart from John - Charles, Fanny and Alfred. Little is known of his early schooling, though he claimed to be an avid reader from the age of 6 years. He left school at the age of 12.
Due to a downturn in business, John's father was forced to shut up shop and relocate the business to Worthing
(on the sussex
coast). After the business failed again, John's parents decided to emigrate with the youngest son Alfred to Canada. It is thought that John (then 14) and his two siblings, Charles and Fanny, were looked after by various relatives including an uncle in Walham Green, and a great uncle who owned a farm near Kimpton
in Hertfordshire
.
He showed artistic ability at a young age and received some training at art school as well as instruction from a local artist called Hackman. At the age of 10 he completed his first watercolor - "The Thames from Wandsworth" which was subsequently exhibited by the Royal Watercolour Society
in 1919. A number of other watercolours and sketches were also completed in his teens.
At the age of 16, he was apprenticed to produce illustrations for the notable London Wood engraver Josiah Whymper
. There he became friends with Frederick Walker
, Arthur Boyd Houghton
and George John Pinwell
, who would later become associated with the Idyllic school
. He worked - using a brush and pencil - on black and white illustrations for various publications, gaining a reputation for the quality of his landscapes.
In 1863 he moved to Somerset
, renting a room at Halsway Manor
near Crowcombe
- his friend and fellow artist Frederick Walker
also lived there. In 1866 North's parents returned from Canada and he became the main provider for the whole family. North moved to the village of Woolston
in 1869.
The period 1860-67 brought both artistic success as an illustrator and financial security. North was also developing his skill as a watercolourist, so much so that in 1867 he decided to pursue his painting full-time and abandon his illustration work. In the subsequent years up to 1887, he divided his time painting between Somerset, a studio in London. and a house in Algeria
. North exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery
and the New Gallery
and was a member of Arts Club
. He was eventually accepted as a member of the Royal Watercolour Society
(RWS) and an associate of the Royal Academy
(ARA).
In 1884 North married the 21 year-old Selina Weetch at Bicknoller
Church in Somerset, setting up home in Beggearn Huish House in Nettlecombe
. They went on to have 6 children - Selina died in 1898.
North became friends with the essayist Richard Jefferies
in 1883 until the latters death in 1887. Subsequently he was involved in setting up a fund for Jefferies' widow and family, and invited them to stay at his home in Somerset, even arranging for the education of Jefferies' son Harold.
In 1895, North started the O.W. Paper & Arts Co. featuring fine papers for art printing and watercolor.
In personality and politics North was a liberal, publicly championing the cause of social justice for the agricultural labouring class. He opposed the enclosure of common lands, campaigned for decent rural sanitation and for social housing.
North died at Stamborough in Somerset in 1924 he was buried in the New Cemetery at Nettlecombe.
" sense of the word, but attempted to evoke a sense of spiritual communion with nature. In this North owed a lot to his friend Richard Jefferies
, and biographer Herbert Alexander noted that North had to be in the right state of mind before he would start a painting.
In 1895, North helped to develop a new, kind of linen-based art paper that was extraordinarily durable and ideally suited to the demands of the watercolourist. He experimented with this paper for the rest of his life and was able to develop a very detailed painting style using ordinary watercolor paint and no gouache
. He built up his forms by applying the paints in very small dots and touches of pure colour - a technique predating pointillism
by a decade.
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, RWS (1 Jan 1842 – 20 December 1924) was an English landscape painter and illustrator, a member of the so-called Idyllic school
Idyllic school
The Idyllic school was a 19th century art movement of British artists - both painters and illustrators - whose depictions of rural landscapes combined elements of social realism and idealism. Van Gogh admiration for the group was shown in letters to his brother Theo...
of artists.
Life
North was born in Walham GreenWalham Green
Walham Green is an area located on the border of Fulham and Chelsea , south-west London, United Kingdom. To the south is Parsons Green, south-west Fulham, north West Kensington, north-east West Brompton, east Chelsea and south-east is Sands End....
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...
, England. His father Charles North was a draper
Draper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
who together with his wife Fanny kept a shop in the area. They had three children apart from John - Charles, Fanny and Alfred. Little is known of his early schooling, though he claimed to be an avid reader from the age of 6 years. He left school at the age of 12.
Due to a downturn in business, John's father was forced to shut up shop and relocate the business to Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
(on the sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
coast). After the business failed again, John's parents decided to emigrate with the youngest son Alfred to Canada. It is thought that John (then 14) and his two siblings, Charles and Fanny, were looked after by various relatives including an uncle in Walham Green, and a great uncle who owned a farm near Kimpton
Kimpton, Hertfordshire
Kimpton is a village, situated between the Mimram and Lea Valleys, about six miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It is approximately four miles from Harpenden and Luton....
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
He showed artistic ability at a young age and received some training at art school as well as instruction from a local artist called Hackman. At the age of 10 he completed his first watercolor - "The Thames from Wandsworth" which was subsequently exhibited by the Royal Watercolour Society
Royal Watercolour Society
The Royal Watercolour Society is an English institution of painters working in watercolours...
in 1919. A number of other watercolours and sketches were also completed in his teens.
At the age of 16, he was apprenticed to produce illustrations for the notable London Wood engraver Josiah Whymper
Josiah Wood Whymper
Josiah Wood Whymper RI was an English wood engraver, illustrator and painter. Born the son of a brewer, he was apprenticed to a stonemason. He soon turned to drawing and painting, settled in London in 1829 and studied under William Collingwood Smith...
. There he became friends with Frederick Walker
Frederick Walker (painter)
Frederick Walker was an English social realist painter and illustrator described by Sir John Everett Millais as "the greatest artist of the century".__NOEDITSECTION__-Early Life and training:...
, Arthur Boyd Houghton
Arthur Boyd Houghton
Arthur Boyd Houghton , who usually signed his name A. B. Houghton, was a British painter and illustrator.Born in Kotagiri, Madras, India on 13 March 1836 and died in London on 25 Nov 1875....
and George John Pinwell
George John Pinwell
George John Pinwell , was a British watercolour painter.He was born at Wycombe and received his art education at educated at St. Martin's Lane Academy and Heatherley's Academy...
, who would later become associated with the Idyllic school
Idyllic school
The Idyllic school was a 19th century art movement of British artists - both painters and illustrators - whose depictions of rural landscapes combined elements of social realism and idealism. Van Gogh admiration for the group was shown in letters to his brother Theo...
. He worked - using a brush and pencil - on black and white illustrations for various publications, gaining a reputation for the quality of his landscapes.
In 1863 he moved to Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, renting a room at Halsway Manor
Halsway Manor
Halsway Manor is a manor house in Halsway, Somerset, now used as England's National Centre for Traditional Music, Dance and Song. It is the only residential folk centre in the UK. It is situated off the A358 road between Taunton and Williton on the edge of the Quantock Hills.-Buildings:Halsway...
near Crowcombe
Crowcombe
Crowcombe is a village and civil parish under the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England, south east of Watchet, and from Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
- his friend and fellow artist Frederick Walker
Frederick Walker (painter)
Frederick Walker was an English social realist painter and illustrator described by Sir John Everett Millais as "the greatest artist of the century".__NOEDITSECTION__-Early Life and training:...
also lived there. In 1866 North's parents returned from Canada and he became the main provider for the whole family. North moved to the village of Woolston
North Cadbury
North Cadbury is a village west of Wincanton in the River Cam in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It shares its parish with nearby Yarlington and includes the village of Galhampton, which got its name from the settlement of the rent-paying peasants, and the hamlet of...
in 1869.
The period 1860-67 brought both artistic success as an illustrator and financial security. North was also developing his skill as a watercolourist, so much so that in 1867 he decided to pursue his painting full-time and abandon his illustration work. In the subsequent years up to 1887, he divided his time painting between Somerset, a studio in London. and a house in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. North exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery
Grosvenor Gallery
The Grosvenor Gallery was an art gallery in London founded in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche. Its first directors were J. Comyns Carr and Charles Hallé...
and the New Gallery
New Gallery (London)
The New Gallery was an art gallery founded at 121 Regent Street W., London, in 1888 by J. Comyns Carr and Charles Edward Hallé. Carr and Hallé had been co-directors of Sir Coutts Lindsay's Grosvenor Gallery, but resigned from that troubled gallery in 1887....
and was a member of Arts Club
The Arts Club
The Arts Club is a London private members club founded in 1863 by, amongst others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair, London, England...
. He was eventually accepted as a member of the Royal Watercolour Society
Royal Watercolour Society
The Royal Watercolour Society is an English institution of painters working in watercolours...
(RWS) and an associate of the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
(ARA).
In 1884 North married the 21 year-old Selina Weetch at Bicknoller
Bicknoller
Bicknoller is a village and civil parish on the western slopes of the Quantock Hills in the English county of Somerset.Administratively, the civil parish falls within the West Somerset local government district within the Somerset shire county, with administrative tasks shared between county,...
Church in Somerset, setting up home in Beggearn Huish House in Nettlecombe
Nettlecombe, Somerset
Nettlecombe is a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. The parish covers a rural area below the Brendon Hills, comprising the small hamlets of Woodford, Yarde and Torre together with more isolated individual farms and homes...
. They went on to have 6 children - Selina died in 1898.
North became friends with the essayist Richard Jefferies
Richard Jefferies
John Richard Jefferies was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction...
in 1883 until the latters death in 1887. Subsequently he was involved in setting up a fund for Jefferies' widow and family, and invited them to stay at his home in Somerset, even arranging for the education of Jefferies' son Harold.
In 1895, North started the O.W. Paper & Arts Co. featuring fine papers for art printing and watercolor.
In personality and politics North was a liberal, publicly championing the cause of social justice for the agricultural labouring class. He opposed the enclosure of common lands, campaigned for decent rural sanitation and for social housing.
North died at Stamborough in Somerset in 1924 he was buried in the New Cemetery at Nettlecombe.
Art
The term "idyllist" is more properly applied to North's earlier black and white landscapes which were driven by the necessity to illustrate a particular literary narrative. His later watercolor work, was certainly not idyllist in the nostalgic, "chocolate box artChocolate box art
Chocolate box art originally referred literally to decorations on chocolate boxes. Over the years the terminology has developed and is now applied broadly as a descriptive, but often pejorative, term to describe paintings and designs that are warm, idealistic and sentimental.Using his own paintings...
" sense of the word, but attempted to evoke a sense of spiritual communion with nature. In this North owed a lot to his friend Richard Jefferies
Richard Jefferies
John Richard Jefferies was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction...
, and biographer Herbert Alexander noted that North had to be in the right state of mind before he would start a painting.
In 1895, North helped to develop a new, kind of linen-based art paper that was extraordinarily durable and ideally suited to the demands of the watercolourist. He experimented with this paper for the rest of his life and was able to develop a very detailed painting style using ordinary watercolor paint and no gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
. He built up his forms by applying the paints in very small dots and touches of pure colour - a technique predating pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
by a decade.
Further reading
- Marcus B. Huish. British Watercolour art (A & C Black, 1904), p157 ff.
- Herbert Alexander. John William North, A.R.A., R.W.S. (Old Watercolour Society’s Club Fifth Annual Volume, 1927-8)
- Hubert Herkomer. J.W. North, A.R.A., R.W.S.: Painter and Poet. (Magazine of Art, 1893, pp.297-00, 342-8)
External links
- The Idyllists (southwilts.com)
- J W North (Victorian web)
- J W North (Tate Gallery, London)
- Photo of J W North (National Portrait Gallery).