Peter Brook RBA (1927–2009) was an English artist best known for his landscape paintings. He was nicknamed "The Pennine Landscape Painter" for good reason.
Life and career
Peter Brook was born in
Scholes, Holme Valley
Scholes is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated 1 mile (2 km) to the south-east and above Holmfirth, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Huddersfield, in the Holme Valley. It has a population of 1,990.
Th ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
to farmer parents.
He was educated at
Goldsmith's College where he studied to become a teacher while he attended evening drawing classes and visited art galleries.
He returned to West Yorkshire where he worked as a teacher, first at
Rastrick
Rastrick is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England, between Halifax, 5 miles (8 km) north-east and Huddersfield, 4 miles (7 km) south.
The population of the Calderdale Civil Ward at the 2011 census was 11,351. It is perhaps best ...
and then
Sowerby. He married his wife Molly in 1950.
Brook painted rural landscapes, farmhouses and scenes from different facets of British life.
In his early career he painted the houses, and mills, surrounding his home in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. He taught art at a local school and often told his students that "inspiration was all around"
It was only when he was offered a contract with Agnews of London that Peter was able to become a full time artist. He worked with Agnews for many years, with numerous exhibitions in London, as well as in the USA and Australia, though Peter himself never travelled abroad.
He was elected to the
Royal 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 ...
in 1962.
His work caught the eye of many celebrities of the day including Rodney Bewes, Frank Windsor, Tom Courtenay and others. His most famous collector was Yorkshire born Hollywood star James Mason, who purchased over 20 of Peters original paintings. Peter Brook featured in the documentary "Home James" which saw James Mason visit his home town of Huddersfield and saw clips of him out walking on the moors with Peter Brook as well as a brief glimpse of Peter at work in his studio.
Peter Brook's work is held in the Tate Gallery and he has featured, twice, in the annual desk diaries.
His trademark became the inclusion of himself and his dog in many of his paintings
Peter achieved great commercial success before his death, but remained a hugely modest and private man.
Since his death in 2009 his popularity has remained high, with his original paintings highly sought after by collectors around the world. Reproduction prints, approved by Peters estate, continue to make his work accessible for all, something Peter Brook himself was always keen to ensure.
References
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/peter-brook-tribute-modest-artist-who-brought-life-landscape-1958232
External links
Official website*
Peter Brook Artwork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brook, Peter
1927 births
2009 deaths
20th-century English painters
21st-century English painters
21st-century English male artists
English landscape painters
English male painters
People from Holmfirth
20th-century English male artists