Sir George Clausen (18 April 1852 – 22 November 1944) was a British artist working in oil and watercolour,

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonal ...

, dry point and occasionally

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

. He was knighted in 1927.

Biography

George Clausen was born at 8 William Street in the

Regents Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwe ...

district of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 18 April 1852, the son of a decorative artist of Danish descent and a Scottish mother. From 1867 to 1873, he attended the design classes at the

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

in London with great success. He then worked in the studio of

Edwin Long Edwin Longsden Long (12 July 1829 – 15 May 1891) was a British genre, history, biblical and portrait painter. Life and works Long was born in Bath, Somerset, the son of James Long, a hairdresser, (from Kelston in Somerset), and was edu ...

RA, and subsequently in Paris under

Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

and

Tony Robert-Fleury Tony Robert-Fleury (1 September 18378 December 1911) was a French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. He was also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students. Biography He was born just outside Paris, and st ...

at the Académie Julian. He was an admirer of the naturalism of the painter

Jules Bastien-Lepage Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement. His most famous work is his lan ...

about whom he wrote in 1888 and 1892. Clausen became one of the foremost modern painters of landscape and of peasant life, influenced to a certain extent by the

Impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

, with whom he shared the view that light is the real subject of landscape art. His pictures excel in rendering the appearance of things under flecking outdoor sunlight, or in the shady shelter of a barn or stable. His ''Girl at the Gate'' was acquired by the Chantrey Trustees and is now at the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

. The

Yale Center for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the worl ...

holds Clausen's ''Schoolgirls'' (1880), an urban scene, which it featured in its exhibit called "Britain in the World: 1860-Now." Other landscapes included "The Fields in June" (1914) and "Midsummer Dawn" (1921). For the Imperial War Museum he painted the large, broadly decorative, "Gun Factory at Woolwich Arsenal" (1919). His decorative work also included "Renaissance" (1915) and decorations for the Hall at High Royd,

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

, consisting of life-size figures in lunettes. Clausen was a founding member of the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...

in 1886. In 1895, he was elected an

Associate of 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 ...

, and a full Academician in 1906. He was elected as the Master of the

Art Workers' Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

in 1909. As Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy he gave a memorable series of lectures to the students of the Schools, published as ''Six Lectures on Painting'' (1904) and ''Aims and Ideals in Art'' (1906). Clausen was an official war artist during World War I. During the war his daughter's fiancé was killed; this event may have inspired his painting, ''Youth Mourning'' which shows a distressed young woman mourning in a desolate landscape. Clausen also contributed six lithographs on the theme ''Making Guns'' for the Government published print portfolio ''Britain's Efforts and Ideals.'' In 1921 Clausen was an original member of the

Society of Graphic Art The Society of Graphic Art for Pornographique (renamed Society of Graphic Fine Art in 1984) is a British arts organisation established in 1999. History The Society of Graphic Art (SGA) was founded in 1999 by Frank Lewis Emanuel, whose idea it wa ...

and showed his work in their first exhibition. He died at home in the village of

Cold Ash Cold Ash is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire centred from Thatcham and northeast of Newbury. Geography The village of Cold Ash is situated at about above sea level, along the top of a ridge, marked by Hermitage Road and The Ridge ...

in 1944 and was buried there next to his wife in the parish churchyard.https://www.stjohnswoodmemories.org.uk/content/arts/art-artists/sir_george_clausen_ra#:~:text=Clausen%20died%20in%201944%20and%20is%20buried%20alongside,Andrew%20Derrick%20This%20page%20was%20added%20on%2023%2F03%2F2016. George Clausen, 1887 - Bird scaring.jpg, ''Bird scaring'', 1887 George Clausen - girl.jpg, ''Girl'', 1888 George Clausen - Ploughing.jpg, ''Ploughing'', 1889 George Clausen, 1891 - Brown eyes.jpg, ''Brown eyes'', 1891 Clausen, apple blossom.jpg, Apple blossom George Clausen - The Gleaners Returning, 1908.png, The Gleaners Returning'', 1908 Clausen, George (Sir) (RA) - Youth Mourning.jpg, ''Youth Mourning'', 1916 George Clausen - Morning in November.jpg, ''Morning in November'', 1922

References

Attribution: *

Sources

* Gibson, Frank. ''The Etchings and Lithographs of George Clausen, R.A.''

The Print Collector's Quarterly ''The Print Collector's Quarterly'' (initially hyphenated as ''The Print-Collector's Quarterly''), was a quarterly periodical that was begun in 1911 and continued under various publishers until 1950. The original founders were art dealer Frederick ...

1921 July Vol 8, No. 2, pp 203, 212. * Gibson, Frank. ''Notes to Catalogue of Etchings by George Clausen'' The Print Collector's Quarterly 1921 Dec Vol 8, No. 4, p 433. * Rutherson, Albert (editor). ''Contemporary British Artists: George Clausen'' Publisher: Ernest Benn Ltd, 1923 * ''Sir George Clausen, R.A. 1852–1944''; Bradford Art Gallery, 1980. Catalogue of an exhibition held in Bradford, London, Bristol and Newcastle upon Tyne in 1980.

External links

*
Works by Clausen
in the Imperial War Museum collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Clausen, George 1852 births 1944 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters British landscape painters British war artists Painters from London Royal Academicians Académie Julian alumni World War I artists Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists