Luke Clennell
Encyclopedia
Luke Clennell was an English engraver and painter
.
Born in Morpeth, Northumberland
, the son of a farmer, he was apprenticed to the engraver Thomas Bewick
in 1797. Between 1799 and 1803 he acted as Bewick's principal assistant on the second volume of the History of British Birds. After completing his seven-year apprenticeship with Bewick he moved to London
, where he married a daughter of the copper-engraver Charles Turner Warren (1762–1823). Through his marriage he became acquainted with such book illustrators as William Finden
and Abraham Raimbach
. He gained a reputation as an engraver and in May 1806 he was awarded the gold palette of the Society of Arts for a wood-engraving of a battle scene. He subsequently gave up engraving for painting. In 1814 he received from the Earl of Bridgewater
a commission for a large picture to commemorate the banquet given to the Allied Sovereigns at the Guildhall, London
. He experienced great difficulty in getting the distinguished guests to sit for their portraits, and suffered a mental breakdown. After a spell in an asylum, he recovered and returned home.
Clennell was one of the competitors for the prize of one thousand guineas awarded by the British Institution
for the best finished sketches connected with the victories of the British Army in Spain, Portugal and France, the works to be submitted to the British Gallery in January 1816. Thirteen artists submitted works, and Clennell received one of the premiums for his picture entitled The decisive charge of the Life Guards at Waterloo.
The artist resumed work on the picture of the Allied Sovereigns in 1817 but suffered another bout of mental illness, and his family found him throwing his palette and brushes at the canvas, in order " to get the proper expression." From then until his death in 1840 he was never well enough to work as an artist.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Born in Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
, the son of a farmer, he was apprenticed to the engraver Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick was an English wood engraver and ornithologist.- Early life and apprenticeship :Bewick was born at Cherryburn House in the village of Mickley, in the parish of Ovingham, Northumberland, England, near Newcastle upon Tyne on 12 August 1753...
in 1797. Between 1799 and 1803 he acted as Bewick's principal assistant on the second volume of the History of British Birds. After completing his seven-year apprenticeship with Bewick he moved to 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...
, where he married a daughter of the copper-engraver Charles Turner Warren (1762–1823). Through his marriage he became acquainted with such book illustrators as William Finden
William Finden
William Finden was an English line engraver.He served his apprenticeship to one James Mitan, but appears to have owed far more to the influence of James Heath, whose works he privately and earnestly studied...
and Abraham Raimbach
Abraham Raimbach
Abraham Raimbach , was an English line-engraver of Swiss descent.He was born in Cecil Court in the West End of London. Educated at Archbishop Tenison's Library School, he was apprenticed to the engraver J. Hall from 1789 to 1796...
. He gained a reputation as an engraver and in May 1806 he was awarded the gold palette of the Society of Arts for a wood-engraving of a battle scene. He subsequently gave up engraving for painting. In 1814 he received from the Earl of Bridgewater
Earl of Bridgewater
-History:The earldom was first created in 1538 for Henry Daubeny, 9th Baron Daubeny. The Daubeney family descended from Elias Daubeny, who in 1295 was summoned by writ to the Model Parliament as Lord Daubeny. The eighth Baron was created Baron Daubeny by letters patent in the Peerage of England in...
a commission for a large picture to commemorate the banquet given to the Allied Sovereigns at the Guildhall, London
Guildhall, London
The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Gresham and Basinghall streets, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. It has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation...
. He experienced great difficulty in getting the distinguished guests to sit for their portraits, and suffered a mental breakdown. After a spell in an asylum, he recovered and returned home.
Clennell was one of the competitors for the prize of one thousand guineas awarded by the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
for the best finished sketches connected with the victories of the British Army in Spain, Portugal and France, the works to be submitted to the British Gallery in January 1816. Thirteen artists submitted works, and Clennell received one of the premiums for his picture entitled The decisive charge of the Life Guards at Waterloo.
The artist resumed work on the picture of the Allied Sovereigns in 1817 but suffered another bout of mental illness, and his family found him throwing his palette and brushes at the canvas, in order " to get the proper expression." From then until his death in 1840 he was never well enough to work as an artist.
External links
- Works by Luke Clennell (Tate Online)
- Launching the lifeboat (1810 watercolour - South Shields Museum & Art Gallery)
- 18th-Century Blues: Exploring the Melancholy Mind, (Shipley Art GalleryShipley Art GalleryThe Shipley Art Gallery is an art gallery situated in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It is at the south end of Prince Consort Road, near to Shipcote.-Origins:The Shipley Art Gallery first opened to the public in 1917...
)