Walter Field (1 December 1837 – 23 December 1901) was an English painter.

Biography

He was the youngest son of Edwin Wilkins Field by his second wife, Letitia Kinder, and was born at Windmill Hill, Hampstead, on 1 December 1837. He was a lineal descendant of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

. After education at

University College School ("Slowly but surely") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Mark Beard , r_head_label = , r_he ...

, London, he was taught painting by

John Rogers Herbert John Rogers Herbert (23 January 1810 – 17 March 1890) was an English painter who is most notable as a precursor of Pre-Raphaelitism. Early career John Rogers Herbert was born in Maldon, Essex. In 1826, he moved to London to study at the ...

and John Pye the engraver gave him lessons in

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

. Making art his profession, he painted outdoor figure subjects and landscapes, especially views of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

scenery, which were often enlivened with well- drawn figures; he also produced a few portraits. At first he worked chiefly in oil, but subsequently executed many drawings in water-colour. His landscapes and coast scenes show skilful technique. Between 1856 and 1901 he exhibited at the Old Water Colour Society ( Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours), at the Royal Academy (where he showed forty-two pictures), the British Institution (where he showed nine pictures), the Royal Society of British Artists, Dudley Gallery, and elsewhere. He was elected an associate of the Old Water Colour Society on 22 March 1880, but never attained full membership. He was also one of the earliest members of the Dudley Gallery, whose first exhibition was held in 1865.

Personal life

Field resided principally at Hampstead, and was untiring in his efforts for the preservation of the natural beauties of Hampstead Heath; he was the main founder of the Hampstead Heath Protection Society. By his wife, Mary Jane Cookson, whom he married on 14 May 1868, he had seven children. They included Edwin Field, known as a rugby player. Field died at The Pryors, East Heath Road, on 23 December 1901, and was buried in

Hampstead Cemetery Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode. It is jo ...

Works

Walter Field - Borough Marsh a hay harvest

The

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

has two water-colour drawings by Field, viz. 'Boy in a Cornfield' (1866) and 'Girl carrying a Pitcher' (1866); and three of his Thames views are in the Schwabe Collection in the

Kunsthalle A kunsthalle is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated by ...

at Hamburg. Among his most popular works were 'The Milkmaid singing to Isaak Walton,' 'Henley Regatta,' which contains portraits from sittings of many famous oars- men, and 'Como unto these Yellow Sands.' Other works include the landscapes 'Hampstead Heath', Persecuted, But Not Forsaken, and 'Tilly Whim near Swanage'. An exhibition of oil paintings by Field was held at the galleries of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in September and October 1902; 216 works remaining in his studio after his death were sold at Christie's on 17 and 18 November 1902.

Notes

Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Walter 19th-century English painters English male painters 1837 births 1901 deaths Painters from London 19th-century English male artists