British Drawings at The Huntington

Evelyn De Morgan, born Mary Evelyn Pickering, was an English painter known for her powerful and sensual portals of women in vibrant settings. She was one of the first women to be admitted to the Slade School of Art in London in 1873 and used her platform to impart themes of pacifism and feminism.  Her aesthetic was influenced by late Pre-Raphaelite period and Symbolism.  She prepared detailed drawings in preparation for her paintings, and these preparatory sketches have made their way into several public and private collections all over the world.

John Greenhill was a 17th century portraitist and an apprentice of Sir Peter Lely. He was believed to be Lely’s star pupil and his skill approached the expertise of his master at an astonishing pace.  His early sitters were mainly actors from Duke of York’s Company as well as other theaters in his neighborhood of Convent Garden in London. Greenhill also secured commissions from members of the aristocracy, including the Countess of Gainsborough.  His promising career was abruptly ended after a fatal drunken accident when he fell into a gutter.

Portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman and printmaker, Thomas Gainsborough was a prominent British artist of the 18th century and features heavily among the Huntington’s impressive collection. Many of his works were idyllic depictions of nature inspired by the Northern European landscape tradition.  In this landscape, Gainsborough incorporated the color of the blue paper into the drawing to depict a rustic landscape with a large body of water. His landscape style imparts a quiet sense of stillness that permeates even with the simplistic use of chalks of only two colors!

While at first glance, this may be mistaken for a Henri Matisse painting, this drawing is the work of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, a French artist and sculptor from the early 20th century. Gaudier gained notoriety for his primitive style that bore influence of Chinese calligraphy as well as a discernible Cubist undertone. This artwork depicts English artist, designer and author, Claud Lovat Fraser, with whom Gaudier became acquainted while living in London.

Early 20th century artist, Gwendolen Mary John moved to Meudon, a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France in 1911. It was during this period that she converted to Catholicism and started to attend mass. She created several anonymous portraits of primarily female congregants that she observed. Her drawings featured dark outlines and large spaces containing muted tones. John focused on the postures and perspective in her works with very little emphasis on the individualistic characteristics of the figures.