Back to Nature: Landscapes from the RBSA Collection 1800 – present

About

With no painters in Birmingham in 1800 making a living purely from landscape, the teacher, Joseph Barber (1757 – 1811), typified a ‘picturesque’ approach to nature studied second-hand from books.  His son, Joseph Vincent Barber (1788 – 1838) and Samuel Lines (1778 – 1863), founder members of the RBSA, were the first artists in this region to set off into the countryside to work direct from nature.  They established a  no-nonsense style of observational drawing, examples of which include the delightful view by Samuel Lines of “The Larches”, depicting the house and garden of Samuel Galton at Sparkbrook where the young Charles Darwin discovered his interest in nature.  A sketch of “Worcester Beacon with Colwall Oaks” by his son Henry Harris Lines (1801 – 1889) is precisely drawn and dated April 28, 1877.

The show includes the sketchbooks of Frederick Henry Henshaw (1807 -1891) and work by the prolific Samuel Henry Baker (1824 – 1909).  Joseph Barber’s renowned pupil, David Cox (1783 – 1859) became an RBSA Member in 1842 and his drawing style is seen in the vibrant little charcoal sketch, “A Lane at Harborne”.

Richard Chattock (1825 – 1906), renowned for his brutal Black Country scenes, produced some stunningly detailed views of the countryside, one of which is shows alongside expressive images by Harold Holden (1885 – 1977) and the stark “Tree” by Norma Rhys Davies (1926 – 2012).

Recently donated , “Harbour Scene with Capstan” by Kate Fryer (1910 – 2017), “Rooftops at Brixham” by Malcolm Brooks (b. 1943), “Gurnards Head” by John Scott Martin (b. 1943) and “Mousehole” by David White (b. 1939) bring a breath of salt air to the exhibition while “The Wild Beauty of Clee” by Robert Perry (b. 1944), and Roger Forbes’ (b. 1948) “Motorway near Oldbury” all add a little magic to the show.

Private View: Thursday 27 July 6-8pm
Talk: Saturday 5 August 2-3pm, Brendan Flynn, RBSA Professor of Art History and Nigel Priddey, RBSA Archive Office