Samuel Lamorna Birch (1869-1955)
| Artist Name | Samuel Lamorna Birch (1869-1955) |
|---|---|
| Title | Water Mill Lamorna Cornwall |
| Description | This lovely Impressionist river landscape oil painting is by noted British Newlyn artist Samuel Lamorna Birch, painted circa 1930. We believe it may be the water mill at Bossava, Lamorna. Possibly there has been a mill at Lamorna since the thirteenth century. In the 1910s, A J Munnings rented the Bossava mill for his studio. The upper mill was used regularly until 1921. Birch has perfectly capture the light and reflections on the flowing water with a wide colour palette. A delightful British Impressionist painting. Signed lower left. |
| Provenance | M Newman Gallery Duke Street London Sold directly to the family and previous owner in 1930. Gallery label verso. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 24 x 20 inches |
| Frame | Housed in gilt frame, 32 inches by 27 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition |
| Biography | Samuel John Lamorna Birch (1869-1955) the leading figure of the second flowering of the Newlyn School, Samuel John Birch was so smitten with the Lamorna valley and cove that he took its name as his own, becoming known as Lamorna Birch. Samuel John Birch was born in Egremont, Cheshire. Apart from a brief period of study at the Atelier Colarossi, Paris in 1895, he was largely self-taught as an artist. Birch first visited West Cornwall in the late 1880s and settled in the Lamorna Valley in 1892. He adopted the epithet ‘Lamorna’ in 1895 to distinguish himself from fellow artist Lionel Birch (an idea suggested by Stanhope Forbes). He is regarded as the father figure of the later group of ‘Newlyn’ artists, which included Laura and Harold Knight, Alfred Munnings, Frank Gascoigne Heath and Stanley Gardiner, known as the Lamorna group. Birch was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1924 and was made a full Royal Academician (RA) eight years later. In his long and distinguished career, he exhibited over 200 works at the Royal Academy, as well as exhibiting throughout the Country and abroad. |
| Price | SOLD |
