John Bagnold Burgess
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John Bagnold Burgess (
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
21 October 1829 – 2 November 1897
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) was an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
artist known for his paintings of historical and genre scenes, principally in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
.
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
, 1901, pp. 333–5.


Life and work

Burgess was born in
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and was the son of Henry William Burgess, landscape painter to
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
, and part of a family of several generations of distinguished artists (see "Family" below). He was educated at " Brompton Grammar School" and, after the death of his father when he was 10 years old, received art training from
William Charles Ross Sir William Charles Ross (3 June 1794 – 20 Jan 1860) was an English portrait and portrait miniature painter of Scottish descent; early in his career, he was known for historical paintings. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1842. Life ...
, the miniature painter - who had been friend of his father. In 1848 he went to
James Mathews Leigh James Mathews Leigh (1808 – 20 April 1860) was an English art educator, painter, writer, dramatist and critic. He is best known as the founder of a popular private art school in London known as "Leigh's Academy", which eventually became t ...
's art school in
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...
. In 1850 he exhibited a picture 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 ...
and in 1849 entered the Academy schools, winning the first-class medal for
life drawing A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detailed, ...
. Each year from 1852 until his death, Burgess was an annual contributor to the Academy's exhibitions. Burgess started his career by painting portraits and
genre works Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...
, before travelling to Spain in 1858, accompanied by his friend and fellow artist
Edwin Long Edwin Longsden Long (12 July 1829 – 15 May 1891) was a British genre, history, biblical and portrait painter. Life and works Long was born in Bath, Somerset, the son of James Long, a hairdresser, (from Kelston in Somerset), and was edu ...
- who would become his travelling companion on future painting trips to the country. For the next some thirty years, Burgess was an annual visitor to Spain, often spending days with Spanish peasants, living their life and sharing their food. He also went to
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
at least once. In 1860, he married Sophia, daughter of Robert Turner of
Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
,
Lincolnshire 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 ...
. Burgess's first great success was his "Bravo Toro" in 1865. Some of his other important works are "Stolen by Gypsies" (1868), "Kissing Relics in Spain" (1869), "The Barber's Prodigy" (1875), and "Licensing Beggars in Spain" (1877). In June 1877, Burgess was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. Other paintings are "The Letter-Writer" (1882), "The Scramble at the Wedding" (1884), "The Cigarette Makers" (1887), and "Freedom of the Press" (1890), which was Burgess's diploma work upon being elected a full member of the Royal Academy in 1889. From 1850–97, Burgess exhibited seventy-three pictures at the Royal Academy, fifteen at the
British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...
, and thirty or forty at other institutions. He died on 12 November 1897 at his home at 60 Finchley Road, London, from the
congenital heart disease A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital heart defect is classed as a cardiovascular ...
which had troubled him all his life, and was buried in the
Paddington Cemetery The North Brisbane Burial Ground was a former cemetery in the Town of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was in the area now known as the suburbs of Milton and Paddington. It was also known as North Brisbane Cemetery, Paddington Cemetery and Mi ...
at
Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...
.


Family

John came from a family of notable painters: his father was H. W. Burgess, landscape painter to
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
; his grandfather William Burgess (1749–1812), portrait painter; his great-grandfather Thomas Burgess (fl. 1786) numbered
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...
amongst his pupils; and he was nephew of John Cart Burgess (1798–1863), a flower and landscape painter, and Thomas Burgess (1784?-1807), landscape painter.Magazine of Art, volume 5, 1882.


References


Further reading

*''John Bagnold Burgess''
Magazine of Art, volume 5
(1882) pp. 133–137. *
Wilfrid Meynell Wilfrid Meynell (17 November 1852, Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 20 October 1948, Pulborough),Obituary, ''The Times'', 22 October 1948, p.7. who sometimes wrote under the pseudonym John Oldcastle, was a British newspaper publisher and editor. Born of ...
,
The modern school of art, volume 2
' (London: W. R. Howell & Co., c. 1887), pp. 55–63. *


External links

*
Paintings by Burgess
(Art Renewal Center - 9 Sep 2010)
Portraits of Burgess
(National Portrait Gallery, London). {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, John Bagnold 1829 births 1897 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters Royal Academicians People from Chelsea, London Painters from London Artists' Rifles soldiers 19th-century English male artists