James Jackson Curnock (9 June 1839 - 17 November 1891) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition and became an accomplished recorder of Wales’ landscapes in watercolours. Born 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 ...

, he also painted scenes further afield in Cornwall,

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

and occasional parts of Scotland in the genre of

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...

Biography

James Jackson Curnock was born on 9 June 1839 in Bristol. Known affectionately as ‘JJ’, he was the son of the portrait painter

James Curnock James Curnock (1812-1862) was an English portrait painter renown in Bristol 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 ...

. He remained at the family home throughout his life with his widowed mother, Sarah, and sister Alice on Richmond Hill in Clifton parish of Bristol. Around 1865, Curnock served in one of the British Hussar regiments as an officer cadet.

Art

Curnock was a familiar Victorian painter using watercolours exhibiting widely around the UK capturing the Welsh landscape, notably the lakes, mountain ranges and river valleys of

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

— Tryfan, Carnedd Dafydd, Llynnau, Glyderau mountain ranges, the valleys of the Llugwy, and Mawddach, Lledr rivers, and the Glaslyn, Llyn Idwal lakes, among others. Curnock also painted the glens, lochs and moors of Scotland, the Cornish coast,

and the river valleys of England. In 1867, the ''Art Journal'' reported on the 44th exhibition of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

that Curnock showed “more than promise” and “the artist has already attained mastery over nature, and gives to the bold scenes of North Wales truth and considerable grandeur”. The recognition continued in the ''Art Journal'' of 1871 citing Curnock as “a rising young painter” with a submitted landscape for the Winter Exhibition of the SBA being the “most poetic and artistic” he had so far submitted. Brad Tor watercolour by James Jackson Curnock 1868

Brad Tor watercolour by James Jackson Curnock 1868

Curnock exhibited eleven times 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 ...

(London, England) between 1873 and 1889. He exhibited in the principal London exhibitions 114 times between 1863 and 1891 and he was appointed Fellow of the Society of Artists, ‘FSA’.

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

, whose “truth to nature” philosophy influenced 19th century landscape artists, gave Curnock a favourable review in the Royal Academy 1875 for his painting, ''The Llugwy at Capel Curig''. Ruskin wrote “I find this to be the most attentive and refined landscape of all here - too subdued in its tone for my own pleasure but skilful and affectionate in a high degree; …. for here is a calm stream patiently studied. The distant woods and hills are all very tender and beautiful.” In 1879, he exhibited at the Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition with his ''The Llugwy'' and ''Moel Siabod'' paintings each listed for £100, equivalent to £10,000 at 2023 prices. He became an Associate Member of the

Royal Cambrian Academy The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art (RCA) is a centre of excellence for art in Wales. Its main gallery is located in Conwy and it has over a hundred members. 240px, Plas Mawr, Conwy Early history During the 19th century there were numerous attempts ...

(Wales) in 1884 and a full member in 1885. Curnock exhibited at the RCA in 1884 at the Cardiff Public Hall with his ''Clearing up after rain, North Wales'' painted three years earlier, and ''Trifaen''. He died on 17 November 1891 in his native Bristol, aged 52. The Bristol Art Gallery’s major exhibition in 1906 included two of Curnock’s paintings; ''A Welsh Moor'' and'' View in Wales.''

Gallery

Curnock’s works have remained popular and command modest premium prices at auction. In 1998, ''Clifton Gorge, Avon'' sold for £3,450 at

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 ...

and ''Cattle on a Highland path'', sold for £2,160 at

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curnock, James Jackson 1839 births 1891 deaths 19th-century English painters Watercolorists Painters from Bristol