William Henry Fisk (1827–1884), was an English painter of landscapes and historical subjects, and a drawing-master.

Life

Fisk, born in Homerton, Middlesex, was the son of William Fisk. He was a pupil of his father, and also studied at the Royal Academy. He was a skilled draughtsman, and as such was appointed anatomical draughtsman to the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

. He exhibited as a painter for the first time in 1846. Three years later he was the first of a series of artists to be invited to Balmoral to paint watercolour views for Queen Victoria. She selected four of his images of the area for inclusion in one of her 'souvenir albums'. Grave of William Henry Fisk in Highgate Cemetery

Grave of William Henry Fisk in Highgate Cemetery

He exhibited paintings of historical, religious and genre subjects at the Royal Academy from 1850 until 1873, and was an occasional exhibitor at the other London exhibitions and also in Paris. He was teacher of drawing and painting to University College School, London, and in that capacity was very successful and of high repute. He was a clear and logical lecturer on the practical aspect of art, and succeeded in attracting large audiences in London and the provinces. He also occasionally contributed articles on painting to the press.''Dictionary of National Biography'' 1885–1900 He was appointed anatomical draughtsman to the

. In the 1860s Fisk was commissioned to design mosaics depicting

Lorenzo Ghiberti Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptister ...

and Albrecht Dürer as part of a series of portraits of great artists for the 'Kensington Valhalla' in the South Court of the South Kensington Museum (now 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 ...

). Only the painting of Ghiberti was reproduced in mosaic, but Fisk's full sized oil versions for both remain in the museum. In 1863, Fisk was interested in the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

; his painting ''Robespierre Receiving Letters from Friends of his Victims with Assassination Threats'' is nowadays exhibited in the

Musée de la Révolution française The Musée de la Révolution française (Museum of the French Revolution) is a departmental museum in the French town of Vizille, south of Grenoble on the Route Napoléon. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to the French Revolution. I ...

. He died on 13 November 1884, at No. 27 Church Row, in Hampstead, in his 58th year and was buried on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

Gallery

File:Abolition Meeting Held at Willis's Rooms in Honor of Harriet Beecher Stowe MET DP804206.jpg, ''Abolition Meeting Held at Rooms in Honour of '' (1853)
Watercolour,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:William Henry Fisk - Robespierre.jpg, ''Robespierre Reading Letters from Friends of his Victims, Threatening to Murder Him'' (1863)
Oil on canvas,

References

Sources

1827 births 1884 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English educators British draughtsmen Schoolteachers from London 19th-century English male artists {{England-painter-stub