James Curnock (1812-1862) was an English portrait painter renown in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
for his formal portraits of local dignitaries. His portraits were both of the traditional Victorian approach and the Romantic style.
Biography
James Curnock lived in the Clifton area of Bristol and in 1837 he married Sarah Cuerock. They had a daughter, Isabel, in the same year, followed by James Jackson in 1839, Edith in 1845 and Alice in 1851. His son,
James Jackson Curnock went on to become a famous landscape painter focusing his pictures, particularly on Wales and the south west of England.
James Curnock died in Bristol in 1862.
Artwork
Whilst Curnock was never as famous as other nineteenth century Victorian portrait painters, such as,
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...
, he adopted a formal style that was very popular, especially with local families and signatories of Bristol and the south west of England. He also painted the anti-slavery campaigner, Rev. Thomas Roberts in 1840.
[ ]
Mary Ann Cox painted by James Curnock circa 1840.jpg, Mary Ann Cox painted by James Curnock circa 1840
The Very Reverend Gilbert Elliot (1800–1891), Dean of Bristol (1850–1891), painted by James Curnock.jpg, The Very Reverend Gilbert Elliot (1800–1891), Dean of Bristol (1850–1891) painted by James Curnock
John George Shaw Esq., Mayor of Bristol (1853-55) painted by James Curnock.jpg, John George Shaw Esq., Mayor of Bristol (1853-55) painted by James Curnock
The Breaking up of the Camp painting by James Curnock.jpg, The Breaking up of the Camp painting by James Curnock
References
External links
List of portraits by James Curnock at ArtUK.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curnock, James
1812 births
1862 deaths
19th-century English painters
oil paintings
Painters from Bristol