Wilfred Fairclough (1907 – 1996) was an English artist, engraver and printmaker.
Early life and education
Fairclough was born in
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
in 1907 and was educated at All Saints.
In 1931 he secured a place at 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 ...
where he studied under
Malcolm Osborne and
Bob Austin, mastering his craft as a printmaker. He was elected an associate of the
Royal Society of Painter-Etchers
The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), known until 1991 as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, is a leading art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as it was originally styled, was ...
in January 1934, winning the ''Prix de Rome'' Scholarship in Engraving. He was thus able to travel despite
the Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...
, working in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and subsequently in Spain on the eve of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
In the summer of 1936 he married fellow artist, Joan Vernon Cryer.
Their son,
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
was born in Blackburn in 1940. Daughter, Celia, was born at the end of the war.
Career
Fairclough started work at
Kingston College of Art in 1938. Fairclough's work was exhibited in Poland, Finland and Sweden in 1939.
He was called up for war service, joining the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. Fairclough was one of the ninety-seven artists that contributed to the
Pilgrim Trust
The Pilgrim Trust is a national grant-making trust in the United Kingdom. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.
It was founded in 1930 with a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. T ...
funded ''Recording Britain'' initiative. His contributions concentrated on buildings in locations near the
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 ...
including
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
,
Henley,
Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
and
Petersham. In 1942 at
RAF Medmenham
RAF Medmenham is a former Royal Air Force station based at Danesfield House near Medmenham, in Buckinghamshire, England. Activities there specialised in photographic intelligence, and it was once the home of the RAF Intelligence Branch. Durin ...
he worked on models used for the
Dambusters' raid on the
Möhne Dam. He also served in India for a brief period at the end of the war.
After the war he returned to work at Kingston. Between 1947 and 1950 his work was exhibited in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
In 1961 he secured a grant from the Leverhulme Foundation and undertook a study tour in Italy, returning to Venice for three weeks and producing numerous sketches that formed the basis for much of his later work. Back at Kingston, he became Principal of the College of Art in 1962, progressing to Assistant Director of the Kingston Polytechnic and was Head of the Division of Design from 1970 until retirement in 1972.
Although teaching and administration took much of his time, he continued to etch throughout his career, producing on average one plate per year. He also painted watercolours, self-taught and inspired by
J. M. W. Turner. After retiring from Kingston he produced about four plates per year, producing sixty nine etchings between 1972 and 1994, almost doubling his pre-retirement output.
In 1990 he released a book of his etchings, ''The Etchings of Wilfred Fairclough'', in conjunction with Ian Lowe.
Wilfred Fairclough died at Kingston upon Thames on 8 January 1996.
References
Further reading
* Guichard, Kenneth M. (1977, 2nd ed. 1981), ''British Etchers 1850–1940''. London: Robin Garton
* Lowe, Ian, and Fairclough, Wilfred (1990), ''The Etchings of Wilfred Fairclough'' Aldershot: Ashgate
External links
*
Paintings by Wilfred Faircloughat the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
Search for works by Wilfred Faircloughat 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 ...
Artist Wilfred Fairclough at Work1969
Leisure Painter magazine article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairclough, Wilfred
1907 births
1996 deaths
Alumni of the Royal College of Art
English etchers
English printmakers
Artists from Blackburn
Academics of Kingston University