John Pearson (1859 in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
– 1930 in
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...
) (
fl. 1885–1910) was a master craftsman of the
Newlyn School
The Newlyn School was an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall, from the 1880s until the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was reminisc ...
and Guild of Handicrafts. He worked in copper and his style is described as
arts and crafts
A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...
/
Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style)
The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It is the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of th ...
.
Together with
Charles Robert Ashbee
Charles Robert Ashbee (17 May 1863 – 23 May 1942) was an English architect and designer who was a prime mover of the Arts and Crafts movement, which took its craft ethic from the works of John Ruskin and its co-operative structure from the soc ...
, he was a founding member of the Guild of Handicraft at
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...
,
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 1888. John Pearson was dismissed from the Guild of Handicraft in 1892 and made his way to
Newlyn
Newlyn ( kw, Lulyn: Lu 'fleet', Lynn/Lydn 'pool') is a seaside town and fishing port (the largest fishing port in England) in south-west Cornwall, UK.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End''
Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount ...
, Cornwall where he worked in the recently established industrial school.
Pearson was greatly influenced by
William De Morgan
William Frend De Morgan (16 November 1839 – 15 January 1917) was an English potter, tile designer and novelist. A lifelong friend of William Morris, he designed tiles, stained glass and furniture for Morris & Co. from 1863 to 1872. His tiles ...
(1839–1917) and there is some evidence that he worked in some capacity at De Morgan's workshop decorating tiles and pottery and making associated metalwork, for example tile mounts.
Perhaps the most notable examples of Pearson's work are the four large copper plaques, earth, air, fire and water, that decorate the facade of
Newlyn Art Gallery
Newlyn Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. Opened in 1895, designed by James Hicks of Redruth and financed by John Passmore Edwards the gallery was conceived as a home and exhibition venue for the Newlyn ...
. In addition to his time with De Morgan, as the senior metalworker at the Guild of Handicraft and at Newlyn, Pearson worked on his own account as a metalworker and decorating pottery.
See also
*
Newlyn Copper
Newlyn Copper was a class of arts and crafts copperware originating in Newlyn in Cornwall.
History
In the late 19th century the fishing industry in Cornwall was becoming unreliable as a source of income; bad weather and seasonal fluctuation ...
References
John Pearson Poikilia Decorative Arts
John Pearson at Jordan and Chard reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, John (Artist)
English coppersmiths
Arts and Crafts movement artists
Artists from Cornwall
Art Nouveau designers
20th-century English artists
1859 births
1930 deaths