Glen of the Greta engraving by William Miller after George Balmer

George Balmer (c. 1806 - 10 April 1846) was an English

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

and

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

painter and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

Life and work

Balmer was born in North Shields, Northumberland, the son of a house painter. He initially followed his father's trade, but eventually took up art, coming under the influence of the work of

John Wilson Ewbank John W. Ewbank (4 May 1799 – 28 November 1847), was an English-born landscape and marine painter largely operational from Scotland. Life Ewbank was born at Darlington on 4 May 1799, the son of Michael Ewbank, an innkeeper. He was adopted as ...

(c.1779-1847). His earliest works were exhibited in Newcastle and attracted attention; he followed up this initial success with a large picture called ''A View of the Port of Tyne''. In 1831 he exhibited some watercolours, again in Newcastle, of which one, ''The Juicy Tree Bit'', was thought the best in the rooms. In collaboration with

John Wilson Carmichael James John Wilson Carmichael (9 June 1800 – 1868), also known as John Carmichael was a British Marine art, marine painter. Life Carmichael was born at the Ouseburn, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, on 9 June 1800, the son of William Ca ...

he painted ''The Heroic Exploit of Admiral Collingwood at Trafalgar''. In 1832 or 1833 he made a tour of the continent, travelling by way of Holland to the Rhine and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and returning by way of Paris where he stayed for several months, copying from the works of the masters in

The Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

. Returning to England, he settled in London, exhibiting pictures of the Rhine, coast scenes, and moonlight views - a large ''View of Bingen'' and one of ''Haarlem Mere'', being amongst the best. In 1836, in the employ of

William Finden William Finden (178720 September 1852) was an English engraver. Life He served his apprenticeship to James Mitan, but appears to have owed far more to the influence of James Heath, whose works he privately and earnestly studied. His first empl ...

, Balmer began a publication called ''The Ports and Harbours of England''. Although he produced many drawings for the book, it was never realised to the full extent that he had originally envisaged. He retired from London in 1842, and gave up painting. He died near

Ravensworth Ravensworth is a village and civil parish in the Holmedale valley, within the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately north-west of Richmond and from Darlington. The parish has a population of 255, according ...

, in Durham on 10 April 1846.

Notes

References

External links

George Balmer on ArtnetSorting the day's catch
(

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Balmer, George 1800s births 1846 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters English watercolourists British marine artists Landscape painters People from North Shields 19th-century English male artists