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Wynford Dewhurst (1864-1941)

 

A corner of Lake Maggiore,

Signed, inscribed with title on remnants of label to the reverse

Oil on canvas

29½ x 23½ inches

 

Provenance:

Private Collection, France

Exhibited:

Midland Hotel, Manchester, Pictures from France and Italy, 

October 1909, no.5 (35gns.);

The New Dudley Gallery, Piccadilly, London, 1910, no.35 (50 gns.)

Click on image to expand

This impressionist masterpiece depicts an idyllic "corner" of Lake Maggiore. The paint texture shows Dewhurst at the very peak of his journey towards impressionism, providing a master-class in the variety of brushwork and juxtaposition of both primary and blended colours.

With thanks to Roger Brown for kindly providing the exhibition history of this painting.

Wynford Dewhurst (1864-1941) was born in Manchester. He was trained in the classical tradition at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris under Jean-Léon Gérôme . He first encountered Impressionism in 1891which kindled an "instantaneous" attraction to the movement and informed his life's work. This can be seen in his work from the mid 1890s onwards when he began painting in the countryside around Dieppe and the Seine valley.

 

He produced a book, Impressionist Painting, Its Genesis and Development, 1904 (which you can view here) which he dedicated to Claude Monet. Controversially, he theorised that Impressionism was "British in its conception", arguing that Monet and Pissarro had been greatly influenced by the work of Turner and Constable whilst in exile in England at the time of the Franco-Prussian war, a view fervently refuted by Pissarro himself.

 

He exhibited extensively at the R.A., R.B.A., and the New English Art Club. His work can be found in numerous collections and museums including, the National Museum of Wales, Manchester Art Gallery and Bradford Museum.

In 2017 the Manchester Art Gallery held a retrospective of the artist's work which was very well received. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue entitled, Manchester's Monet (Roger Brown, 2016). A beautifully illustrated and informative book which you can buy here.

Other works by the artist on this website:
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