James Neal (18 January 1918 - 12 October 2011) was an English artist and teacher. Born in Islington, North London, Neal was accepted at St Martin's School of Art in 1932, aged 14. During this time he was taught by
Leon Underwood
George Claude Leon Underwood (25 December 1890 – 9 October 1975) was a British artist, although primarily known as a sculptor, printmaker and painter, he was also an influential teacher and promotor of African art. His travels in Mexico a ...
, who also taught
Henry Moore. James then went to the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...
in 1936 where he studied for four years under Professor
Gilbert Spencer
Gilbert Spencer (4 August 1892 – 14 January 1979) was a British painter of landscapes, portraits, figure compositions and mural decorations. He worked in oils and watercolour. He was the younger brother of the painter Stanley Spencer.
...
, during this period he won the Spencer prize and met Sir Stanley Spencer.
James Neal served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the war and was stationed at Hull, Beverley and Spurn Point. His spare time was spent sketching, including many drawings of his comrades.
After the war he worked as a part-time teacher and graphic arts illustrator in London where he met and married Doreen in 1948. In 1958 he moved to Hull as Lecturer in Painting and Drawing at
Hull Regional College of Art, then becoming Senior Lecturer in the History of Art. Over the next fifty years he became well known for painting scenes around the Hull area.
Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, has twice mounted major retrospective exhibitions of James Neal's varied and diverse work. In 1985
Beverley Art Gallery held an exhibition called 'Aspects of War in Beverley, 39 - 45' which showed many of James Neal's sketches from his war years in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
[http://klassikmobelkunst.com/buy/art/oil-painting/1611/town-scene-black-car-1957-james-neal-arca-signed-oil-board-framed]
He is commemorated with a green plaque on
The Avenues, Kingston upon Hull
The Avenues is an area of high status Victorian housing located in the north-west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is formed by four main tree-lined straight avenues running west off the north-north-east/south-south-west running ''Princes Ave ...
.
References
1918 births
2011 deaths
English artists
Schoolteachers from London
People from the London Borough of Islington
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