William Bennett (painter)
Encyclopedia
William Bennett was an English watercolour
landscape painter.
It is believed that Bennett received his first lessons in art from David Cox
. They went on painting trips to beauty spots in north Wales, the north of England and Scotland, with David Cox Jnr (Cox's son) and other artist friends. In 1848 he was made a member of the New Water-Colour Society
, and contributed landscapes, chiefly of English scenery, to their exhibitions, until his death in 1871. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy
(RA), British Institution
(BI) and the Royal Society of British Artists
(RBA).
Bennett learnt from Cox the ability to draw with speed, and worked with a restricted range of colours, achieving his artistic effect by "the quickest and most dexterous use of a large brush full of colour dashed with hurried certainty over the roughest paper". In this way he achieved the effect of portraying the initial impact of the scene to the artist, but at the expense of accuracy.
Bennett lived for a period at "Milford Lodge", New Park Road, in Clapham Park
, London (the house has since been demolished); next door but one to David Cox Jnr and his family, who lived at "no. 82" from 1860. He died in 1871 and is buried at West Norwood Cemetery
, London. One of Bennett's pupils was Alfred Williams (1832–1905).
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
landscape painter.
It is believed that Bennett received his first lessons in art from David Cox
David Cox (artist)
- David Cox Junior :David Cox had a son of the same name who followed his calling as a watercolour painter. He was born in Dulwich, but educated in Hereford. He exhibited in London from 1827, although today he is known mainly through association with his father. He died in Streatham on 4 December...
. They went on painting trips to beauty spots in north Wales, the north of England and Scotland, with David Cox Jnr (Cox's son) and other artist friends. In 1848 he was made a member of the New Water-Colour Society
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...
, and contributed landscapes, chiefly of English scenery, to their exhibitions, until his death in 1871. He also exhibited at 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...
(RA), 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...
(BI) and the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
(RBA).
Bennett learnt from Cox the ability to draw with speed, and worked with a restricted range of colours, achieving his artistic effect by "the quickest and most dexterous use of a large brush full of colour dashed with hurried certainty over the roughest paper". In this way he achieved the effect of portraying the initial impact of the scene to the artist, but at the expense of accuracy.
Bennett lived for a period at "Milford Lodge", New Park Road, in Clapham Park
Clapham Park
Clapham Park is an area in the Borough of Lambeth in London, to the south of central Clapham and west of Brixton.The original Clapham Park estate was a speculative development by Thomas Cubitt, who bought of Bleak Hall Farm in 1825, and marked out plots for building around the new broad,...
, London (the house has since been demolished); next door but one to David Cox Jnr and his family, who lived at "no. 82" from 1860. He died in 1871 and is buried at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
, London. One of Bennett's pupils was Alfred Williams (1832–1905).
External links
- Paintings by William Bennett (Arcadja auction catalogue)
- Turreted Farm in a Wooded Landscape (Watercolour - "The Swan Gallery", Sherborne, Dorset)
- An angler on a riverbank (Watercolour - Christie'sChristie'sChristie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
)