David James (1853–1904) was a British marine painter.

Life and works

'David James' was a pseudonym, his real name being Joseph Donahue, the fourth child of a London porter and a probably Irish mother. He was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1853 and moved to

Dalston, Cumbria Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the Carlisle district of Cumbria, historically part of Cumberland. It is situated on the B5299 road south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately from Junction 42 of the M6 mo ...

in his twenties, when he changed his name to David James. He had little education and for a while, eked out a meagre existence as a pavement artist in London until his talent attracted the attention of a German-born picture dealer, who supported his training and with whose family he lived for much of his life (ibid). When in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, he began a fascination with seascapes, most especially with crashing waves, which became his signature. The man we know today from his paintings are all in

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

, as he shifted focus south to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and

Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

, concentrating on the painting of coastal scenes and the sea itself. Today, he is best known for his large pictures of breaking waves. James exhibited throughout London and at the Royal Academy in 1886 (living in Dalston), 1888 (having moved to

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...

), 1892 and 1897. Like Henry Moore (painter), James was more interested in pure studies of the sea, rather than topographical coastal views. He was especially good at painting waves.

References

;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, David 1853 births 1904 deaths 19th-century English painters British male painters Royal Academicians Water in art Sea in culture 19th-century British male artists