John Hassell (c. 1767 – 1825) was an English

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

landscape painter, engraver, illustrator, writer, publisher and drawing-master. He wrote a biography of fellow artist

George Morland George Morland (26 June 176329 October 1804) was an English painter. His early work was influenced by Francis Wheatley, but after the 1790s he came into his own style. His best compositions focus on rustic scenes: farms and hunting; smugglers a ...

. Hassell first appeared as an exhibitor 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 ...

, in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in 1789 with a 'View of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.' He drew many views of local scenery, which he engraved himself in

aquatint Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used h ...

, most of them coloured. They were published in various topographical works. He had a large practice as a drawing-master, and published some books on water-colour painting and drawing. Hassell was a friend of

and wrote his biography (published in 1800); he also engraved Morland's drawing of '

Conway Castle Conwy Castle ( cy, Castell Conwy; ) is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conw ...

' in aquatint. His son Edward Hassell (d. 1852) was also a watercolourist, and exhibited for a number of years at 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 ...

, of which he became a member in 1841, and was also secretary. He occasionally exhibited at the Royal Academy and

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

Published works

Hassell published the following works, all illustrated with engravings in aquatint by the artist himself: *
A Tour of the Isle of Wight
' (1790 - 2 vols). *
A Picturesque Guide to Bath, Bristol Hot-Wells, the River Avon and the Adjacent Country
' (1793). Co-authored with J C Ibbetson & John Laporte (1761–1839). *''Views of Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Seats ..in the Counties Adjoining London'' (1804). *''Beauties of Antiquity'' (1806). *
Memoirs of the life of the late George Morland
' (London: J. Cunee, 1806). *''The Speculum or Art of Drawing in Water-colours'' (1809). *''Calcographia, or the Art of Multiplying Drawings'' (1811) *''Aqua Pictura; Illustrated by a Series of Original Specimens from the Works of Messrs. Payne, Munn, Francis, and Others'' (1813). *''Picturesque Rides and Walks, with Excursions by Water, Thirty Miles Round the British Metropolis'' (1818; 2 vols.). *
Tour of the Grand Junction Canal
' (1819) *''Rides and Walks Round London'' (1820; 2 vols) *
The Camera; or Art of Drawing in Water-colours
' (1823). *''Excursions of Pleasure and Sports on the Thames'' (1823) *''Graphic Delineation: a Practical Treatise on the Art of Etching'' (1830).

References

* Also written by John Hassell: The Young Artist's Assistant or a familiar Introduction to the Art of Drawing with directions for colouring, and a series of PASSIONS, as expressed by the celebrated Le Brun, published in London, 1810

External links

(ArtCyclopedia)
Works by John Hassell
(Bridgemean Art Library)
John Hassell Surrey Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassell, John 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English illustrators Landscape artists English watercolourists English engravers 1825 deaths 1767 births 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists