Francis Oliver Finch (1802–1862), was an English

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

painter, and a member of The Ancients, the group of young artists formed around

Samuel Palmer Samuel Palmer Hon.RE (Hon. Fellow of the Society of Painter-Etchers) (27 January 180524 May 1881) was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and p ...

and the elderly

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

in the 1820s.

Life

Finch was the son of Francis Finch, a merchant in Friday Street,

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...

, in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

.He was born on 22 November 1802, and spent his boyhood at

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

near

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

. At the age of twelve, by then fatherless, he was placed under

John Varley John Varley may refer to: * John Varley (canal engineer) (1740–1809), English canal engineer * John Varley (painter) (1778–1842), English painter and astrologer * John Varley (author) (born 1947), American science fiction author * John Silvest ...

, with whom he worked for five years, a friend having paid a premium of £200. Among his earliest patrons was Lord Northwick, who employed Finch in making views of his mansion and grounds. Some time after leaving his master's studio the same friend who had assisted in placing him there afforded him the benefit of a tour through Scotland. After his return he was uncertain whether he should continue the practice of landscape or study at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. He joined Sass's life academy and produced several portraits, but circumstances drawing him back to landscape-painting he became a candidate for admission to the newly formed

Society of Painters in Water Colours The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wat ...

. On 11 February 1822 he was elected an associate, and on 4 June 1827 a member of that society. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1817, while living at 44

Conduit Street Conduit Street is a street in Mayfair, London. It connects Bond Street to Regent Street. History The street was first developed in the early 18th century on the Conduit Mead Estate, which the Corporation of London had owned since the 15th centu ...

. He married in the spring of 1837, and lived in Charlotte Street for some time, and later in Argyle Square,

Euston Road Euston Road is a road in Central London that runs from Marylebone Road to King's Cross. The route is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary. It is named after Euston Hall, the family ...

. He had a fine voice, and was a talented musician, and a poet. He published a collection of sonnets entitled ''An Artist's Dream''.

Works

Among his best works may be counted ''Garmallon's Tomb'', (oil 1820); ''View of Loch Lomond'' (1822); ''View on the River Tay'' (1827); ''View of Windsor Castle'' (1829); ''View of the College of Aberdeen'' (1832); ''The Dell of

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

'' (1835); ''Alpine Scene, Evening'' (1838); ''A Watch Tower'' (1840); ''The Thames near Cookham, Berkshire'' (1845); ''Ruined Temple, Evening'' (1852); ''Rocky Glen, Evening'' (1855); ''The Curfew - Gray's Elegy'' (1860); ''Pastoral Retreat'' (1861); and ''Moonlight over the Sea'' (1862). His portrait was engraved by A. Roffe.

Death

On 10 October 1861 Finch lost the use of his limbs. He died 27 August 1862 and was buried on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Francis Oliver 1802 births 1862 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century English painters English male painters English watercolourists People from Aylesbury 19th-century English male artists