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William Nicholson, Painter
Paintings, Woodcuts, Writings, Photographs

Synopsis:

William Nicholson (1872-1949), who is known by many for his early woodcuts and the radical posters of the Beggarstaff Brothers in the 1890s, has become recognized as one of the foremost English artists of his time for the whole range of his work. His haunting downland landscapes. his remarkable still lifes, which capture light and colour in an entirely fresh way, and the varied portraits by which he mainly earned his living, form the core of his output and have become greatly prized. This book, compiled by two grandsons, Andrew and Tim Nicholson, is with its representative selection of his pictures the first to do justice to the extraordinary diversity of William Nicholson's oeuvre. It provides at the same time a documentary account of William Nicholson's life, using contemporary records, articles and reminiscences, and above all quoting extensively from the numerous letters William wrote to his family and friends, many of them to his son Ben Nicholson, and from the letters they wrote to him as well. The majority are from private sources and have never appeared in print before. What emerges in this unique and beautifully illustrated volume is a highly detailed and most appealing portrait of the man and the artist. What he painted, why and for whom; what spurred him on to experiment and artistic adventure; how he fared in times of elation and anguish; how he combined the serious playfulness of his vision with a deep affection for nature; and how he collaborated with some of the leading men of his day, among them Rudyard Kipling, J.M. Barrie, William Orpen, Edwin Lutyens, Robert Graves, his son-in-law, and Winston Churchill -- all this is revealed, and much more. William Nicholson, Painter includes 126 colour plates of his oil paintings and 281 black and white reproductions and photographs.

Reviews:

'It is a beautiful book ... a valuable addition to the recorded history of 20th-century British art' Spectator

Author Biography:

Andrew Nicholson, the main editor of the book, is son of Ben Nicholson, and grandson of William. He has therefore had access to paintings and other works of art by William, and to Nicholson family papers, that are not available to the general public. He was also responsible for the publication of Unknown Colour, which featured the work of his mother, Winifred Nicholson, Ben's first wife, in a similar fashion: it was extremely well reviewed.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Alan Bowness, Judd's Farm, his Life Grew out of his Paintings - a Profile, Outline Chronology 1872-1949, The Nicholsons of Newark, an Enterprising Family - The Trent Ironworks, Magnus Grammar School, Newark, Herkomer Art School, L'academie Julian, Paris, Marriage to 'prydie', J. and W. Beggarstaff, William Turns to The Woodcut, Chaucer's House, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Mecklenburgh Square, London, Rottingdean, The Windmill, and The Sussex Downs, Letters Begin From William to Ben Abroad, Prydie's Painting Flourished as The Children Grew Older, Painting a Glass Mural in a Paris Flat, to India With Lutyens to Paint The Viceroy, a Family House Near Harlech, Painting Ursula Lutyens Began at Folly Farm, Apple Tree Yard, St James's London, "The Lady in Grey" - Edie and William, Sutton Veny and The Wiltshire Downs, to Paint in Spain, With Marguerite Steen, Painting at La Rochelle, France, "not too Good a Time for a Chap to Paint In", Retrospective Exhibition at The National Gallery, Blewbury -return to The Downs, Ben Nicholson Wrote About William's Painting in two Letters in 1953, Public Galleries With Pictures by William Nicholson, Select Bibliography, Select Articles, Reviews and Catalogues, Acknowledgements, Credits, General Index, Index of Works by Title.

Additional Information:

Illustrations: 126 colour illustrations, 281 b&w illustrations Related subjects: Painters Great Britain Biography Artists 20th century Art, Modern Graphic arts Biography & autobiography Individual artists Painting & paintings Illustration & commercial art