William Tom Warrener (18611934) was an English painter of portraits, landscapes and figurative subjects. He is best known for being the subject of his friend

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the ...

's painting '' ''L'Anglais au Moulin Rouge'' (The Englishman at the Moulin Rouge) (1892). He also appears in the background of ''Jane Avril dansant'' (1892).

Life and career

Born in Lincoln, England, to a coal merchant and magistrate, Warrener studied at the Lincoln School of Art, where he was awarded the Mayor of Lincoln's gold medal, and a Queen's Prize in the National Art Examinations at South Kensington, before studying at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

, before moving to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1885 to study at the

Académie Julien An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

under

Gustave Boulanger Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (25 April 1824 – 22 September 1888) was a French figurative painter and academic artist and teacher known for his Classical and Orientalist subjects. Education and career The Néo-Grecs and the Prix de Rom ...

and

Jules Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French figure painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Be ...

. He made his debut at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

in 1886 and in 1887 won an honourable mention for his painting ''The Confession''. He went on to exhibit eight works at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, which included ''The Confession'' and ''A Comrade's Visit''. The former painting would have been selected for purchase by the

Chantrey Bequest Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

, but it was not eligible due to its being painted outside England. In 1890, it was exhibited at the annual arts exhibition held by the Lincoln School of Art, and was described in the Lincoln Gazette as dealing with a difficult subject in a powerful and sympathetic manner. In 1895, he was elected as a member of 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 ...

. By 1906, Warrener had given up painting and returned to Lincoln in order to involve himself in the family business. That same year, he co-founded the

Lincolnshire Drawing Club Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire an ...

. He became the first President of the

Lincolnshire Artists' Society Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire an ...

on its foundation in 1930.

Style

Warrener's style exhibits a significant French influence, and he was a keen admirer of Toulouse-Lautrec. By 1891, he had moved into more advanced practices, with strong colours such as yellow and green.

Friendship with Toulouse-Lautrec

While in Paris, Warrener made the acquaintance of William Rothenstein and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He was painted by the latter, who used his likeness in two paintings, ''L'Anglais au Moulin Rouge'' (The Englishman at the Moulin Rouge) (1892), where he was made to appear much older than his thirty-one years, and ''Jane Avril dansant'' (1892), where he appears in the background.Thomson, R.. 'Representing Montmartre', pp. 225–79, in, Thomson, R., Friches-Thory, C., &, Roquebert, A., (ed.), ''Toulouse-Lautrec'', (Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1991), p. 264-65

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warrener, William T. 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters 1861 births 1934 deaths People from Lincoln, England Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Académie Julian alumni 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists