Elisabeth Jessie Vellacott (28 January 1905 – 21 May 2002) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

painter working on figures and narrative landscapes. In her later work she often painted on wooden board rather than canvas and she had her first solo exhibition at the age of 63 before working long into her 90s.

Biography

Vellacott was born in Grays,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

in 1905. Her father, Humphrey Vellacott, was a chartered accountant who later became a priest. This change in career meant that Elisabeth and her four brothers lived in Cambridge for much of their childhood. Vellacott studied at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

, London, where she was taught by

Walter Thomas Monnington Sir Walter Thomas Monnington PRA (2 October 1902 – 7 January 1976) was an English painter, notable for several large murals, his work as a war artist and for his Presidency of the Royal Academy. Early life and education Monnington was ...

before returning to Cambridge to work as a textile maker and set designer. Amongst other projects she worked with her friend

Gwen Raverat Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat (née Darwin; 26 August 1885 – 11 February 1957), was an English wood engraver who was a founder member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Her memoir '' Period Piece'' was published in 1952. Biography Gwendolen ...

on sets and costumes for the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

musical society. She featured in an episode of ''

The South Bank Show ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...

'', a television arts magazine show, in 1984. She was the sister of the classicist and translator

Philip Vellacott Philip Humphrey Vellacott (16 January 1907 – 24 August 1997) was an English classical scholar, known for his numerous translations of Greek tragedy. He was born at Grays, Essex and educated at St Paul's School, London and Magdalene College, Ca ...

Painting

Vellacott's first solo show was at The Minories,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

in 1968 which was followed by exhibitions at New Arts Centre, London and a retrospective at Warwick Arts Trust. She was influenced by Russian icon painting, Indian textiles, Persian miniatures, Chinese and Japanese ceramics. Her later work on panels were characterised by a thin white wash and pale pastel tones. Work by Elisabeth Vellacott features in the following collections: *

Arts Council Collection The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

Kettle's Yard Kettle's Yard is an art gallery and house in Cambridge, England. The director of the art gallery is Andrew Nairne. Both the house and gallery reopened in February 2018 after an expansion of the facilities. Kettle's Yard galleries, shop and caf ...

* The Fitzwilliam Museum *

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...

*Glasgow Museums *

National Museums Liverpool National Museums Liverpool, formerly National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, comprises several museums and art galleries in and around Liverpool, England. All the museums and galleries in the group have free admission. The museum is a non ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vellacott, Elisabeth 1905 births 2002 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists Alumni of the Royal College of Art English women painters People from Grays, Essex