Harold Knight (1874-1961)
| Artist Name | Harold Knight (1874-1961) |
|---|---|
| Title | The Maiden |
| Description | This stunning nude portrait oil painting is by noted British Newlyn School artist Harold Knight. `The Maiden` was painted at Dozmary. The Belgrave Gallery catalogue 1986 suggests the sitter is in fact his wife, Laura Knight the noted artist. The sensuous understanding of the fleshtones and anatomy reveals the qualities that established Knight's reputation as a leading portrait painter after the War. This picture may be dated to c.1916. A really lovely portrait by a much sought after artist. Signed lower left. |
| Provenance | Fifty Years Ago Exhibition, RWS Galleries, June 1965, no. 200. Miles Lamdin Gallery, London. Belgrave Gallery February 1986 which suggests in the catalogue the sitter is Laura Knight. Shades of British Impressionism Exhibition which toured between October 2004 and February 2005 to Warrington Art Gallery, Lowry Art Gallery and Williamson Art Gallery Birkenhead. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 24 x 30 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a complementary frame 40 inches by 34 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Harold Knight (1874-1961) was born in Nottingham, the son of an architect, and studied at Nottingham School of Art under Wilson Foster. It was at the School of Art that he met his future wife, Laura Johnson, who he married in 1903. Harold was a quiet character who is largely remembered, unfairly, as an adept but unexciting painter, while Laura (later Dame Laura) was flamboyant in both her life and art and achieved greater public renown. After spending time in Paris and then at Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast, Harold Knight moved to Newlyn, with Laura, in 1907. The couple mainly lived and worked in Lamorna, becoming key figures in the Lamorna group, and they remained in Cornwall until 1919. During the First World War, Knight’s high principles led him to be a conscientious objector, which earned him the rebuke of many of his colleagues and former friends, and put a strain on his physical and mental health as he was forced to work as a farm labourer. When the War ended, he and Laura moved to London, although they frequently returned to Lamorna to paint. |
| Price | £68000 |
