Richard Morris
@ahistoryinart.bsky.social
Art historian, dealer/art consultant 19thC and 20thC British/European art. Writing book on lesser known great artists. Seen in/on: CNN, NBC, The Spectator, The Times etc Posts by RM and others.
website: richardmorris.org
[email protected]
website: richardmorris.org
[email protected]
Alberto Morrocco painted this scene when he visited Iceland on a commission to paint President Ásgeir Ásgeirsson in 1966 - they lived in the palace in Reykjavik, where they would dine every evening at the banquet table with Ásgeirsson.
November 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Alberto Morrocco painted this scene when he visited Iceland on a commission to paint President Ásgeir Ásgeirsson in 1966 - they lived in the palace in Reykjavik, where they would dine every evening at the banquet table with Ásgeirsson.
'Rain on Princes Street,' is one of a small number of Fururist pictures Stanley Cursiter painted in 1913 which capture the sensation of modern life: people, colours, objects, and sounds - these works brought him major critical attention at home.
November 17, 2025 at 7:43 AM
'Rain on Princes Street,' is one of a small number of Fururist pictures Stanley Cursiter painted in 1913 which capture the sensation of modern life: people, colours, objects, and sounds - these works brought him major critical attention at home.
In Rachel Cooke's words, David Tindle's 'Garden on the Edge of the Village,' (1976) 'depicts those few moments on a cold but bright winter’s day just before dusk...
where a small bonfire still smokes; the sky is mottled, like an old enamel mug.'
where a small bonfire still smokes; the sky is mottled, like an old enamel mug.'
November 16, 2025 at 8:56 PM
In Rachel Cooke's words, David Tindle's 'Garden on the Edge of the Village,' (1976) 'depicts those few moments on a cold but bright winter’s day just before dusk...
where a small bonfire still smokes; the sky is mottled, like an old enamel mug.'
where a small bonfire still smokes; the sky is mottled, like an old enamel mug.'
'The Bad Sower.' (1908) Gustave van de Woestyne pictures reveal an influence of Pieter Breughel the Elder - an artist who believed in multitudes and masses more than individual figures. Like Breughel, van de Woestyne's paintings are full of energy and imaginative energy, too.
November 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM
'The Bad Sower.' (1908) Gustave van de Woestyne pictures reveal an influence of Pieter Breughel the Elder - an artist who believed in multitudes and masses more than individual figures. Like Breughel, van de Woestyne's paintings are full of energy and imaginative energy, too.
'Falaises de Normandie.' (1907)
Gustave Loiseau’s paintings of the Normandy coast are as enjoyable as those by Monet. Like Monet, he painted like a man who can hear remote frequencies of perception, and clearly see faint colours, contrasts, and radiances that most people can’t.
Gustave Loiseau’s paintings of the Normandy coast are as enjoyable as those by Monet. Like Monet, he painted like a man who can hear remote frequencies of perception, and clearly see faint colours, contrasts, and radiances that most people can’t.
November 16, 2025 at 12:13 PM
'Falaises de Normandie.' (1907)
Gustave Loiseau’s paintings of the Normandy coast are as enjoyable as those by Monet. Like Monet, he painted like a man who can hear remote frequencies of perception, and clearly see faint colours, contrasts, and radiances that most people can’t.
Gustave Loiseau’s paintings of the Normandy coast are as enjoyable as those by Monet. Like Monet, he painted like a man who can hear remote frequencies of perception, and clearly see faint colours, contrasts, and radiances that most people can’t.
There is a story that Alberto Morrocco's wife Vera, seen here at the breakfast table in the 1950s, was constantly searching for missing bowls, plates and jugs that had been commandeered for a still life, what her husband called a more important purpose than originally intended.
November 16, 2025 at 8:06 AM
There is a story that Alberto Morrocco's wife Vera, seen here at the breakfast table in the 1950s, was constantly searching for missing bowls, plates and jugs that had been commandeered for a still life, what her husband called a more important purpose than originally intended.
'A Tavern Brawl.' (c1953) James Fitton often captured human behaviour at its most unguarded: the awkward, the humorous, the slightly chaotic, people as they are, not as they pretend to be, quibbling, laughing, drinking, drifting, or something a little more physical.
November 15, 2025 at 9:33 PM
'A Tavern Brawl.' (c1953) James Fitton often captured human behaviour at its most unguarded: the awkward, the humorous, the slightly chaotic, people as they are, not as they pretend to be, quibbling, laughing, drinking, drifting, or something a little more physical.
Clifford Rowe’s paintings reflect the spirit of realist art in Britain during the interwar years, portraying people at work and at leisure. 'The Fried Fish Shop,' (1936) draws on personal memory and social history, recalling a once cheap, filling meal for the working classes.
November 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Clifford Rowe’s paintings reflect the spirit of realist art in Britain during the interwar years, portraying people at work and at leisure. 'The Fried Fish Shop,' (1936) draws on personal memory and social history, recalling a once cheap, filling meal for the working classes.
'Road to the Farm.' (1944) I find it difficult to think of any British landscape painter of Rowland Hilder's generation (he was born in 1905) whose work is as widely known but whose name is not. His work touched a strain of nostalgia for an unchanged and unchanging landscape.
November 15, 2025 at 1:08 PM
'Road to the Farm.' (1944) I find it difficult to think of any British landscape painter of Rowland Hilder's generation (he was born in 1905) whose work is as widely known but whose name is not. His work touched a strain of nostalgia for an unchanged and unchanging landscape.
Many of David Tindle's paintings possess what might be called a quiet profundity. For the art critic Brian Sewell, Tindle was: 'a painter in that quietly Romantic tradition of British art ... concerned with everyday, intimate, domestic subjects.'
November 15, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Many of David Tindle's paintings possess what might be called a quiet profundity. For the art critic Brian Sewell, Tindle was: 'a painter in that quietly Romantic tradition of British art ... concerned with everyday, intimate, domestic subjects.'
'Early Morning near Kentish Town,'
Algernon Newton's work is one version of the English view, and at the very opposite end of Constable and Turner, there is also something mysterious in his art, something modernist, a kind of wit. This painting dates from around 1930.
Algernon Newton's work is one version of the English view, and at the very opposite end of Constable and Turner, there is also something mysterious in his art, something modernist, a kind of wit. This painting dates from around 1930.
November 15, 2025 at 6:44 AM
'Early Morning near Kentish Town,'
Algernon Newton's work is one version of the English view, and at the very opposite end of Constable and Turner, there is also something mysterious in his art, something modernist, a kind of wit. This painting dates from around 1930.
Algernon Newton's work is one version of the English view, and at the very opposite end of Constable and Turner, there is also something mysterious in his art, something modernist, a kind of wit. This painting dates from around 1930.
The muscular tension of the boxers in George Bellows's 'Club Night,' gives it an unexpected modernity, painted as it was in 1907, six years before the famous Armory Show which brought cubism and post-impressionism to a bewildered New York public.
November 14, 2025 at 10:20 PM
The muscular tension of the boxers in George Bellows's 'Club Night,' gives it an unexpected modernity, painted as it was in 1907, six years before the famous Armory Show which brought cubism and post-impressionism to a bewildered New York public.
This portrait (1928) of Geoffrey Rhodes by Charles Moheney was painted when with Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden, they were working on a mural for Morley College in London. The murals were destroyed by bombing in the 1940 Blitz on London.
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
This portrait (1928) of Geoffrey Rhodes by Charles Moheney was painted when with Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden, they were working on a mural for Morley College in London. The murals were destroyed by bombing in the 1940 Blitz on London.
Christopher Nevinson's drawings of figures from 1914 to 1920 were strongly influenced by Wyndham Lewis. This work dates from around 1916 and is for sale. Dimensions are: 55 cm x 38 cm. Drop me a line [email protected] if you are interested.
November 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Christopher Nevinson's drawings of figures from 1914 to 1920 were strongly influenced by Wyndham Lewis. This work dates from around 1916 and is for sale. Dimensions are: 55 cm x 38 cm. Drop me a line [email protected] if you are interested.
'An English Holiday, a Puncture’ was one of several panels of a mural depicting scenes from rural life that Lord Beaverbrook commissioned from Mary Adshead in 1928 for the dining room at his house in Newmarket; the mural was cancelled, the panels were later exhibited in London.
November 14, 2025 at 12:08 PM
'An English Holiday, a Puncture’ was one of several panels of a mural depicting scenes from rural life that Lord Beaverbrook commissioned from Mary Adshead in 1928 for the dining room at his house in Newmarket; the mural was cancelled, the panels were later exhibited in London.
'The Morning Commute,' (c1950) is typical of Reginald Brill's keenly observed depictions of people, and of the gritty, low-toned style he sometimes used to heighten atmosphere. Recently, his work has begun to receive the attention it is due.
November 14, 2025 at 8:19 AM
'The Morning Commute,' (c1950) is typical of Reginald Brill's keenly observed depictions of people, and of the gritty, low-toned style he sometimes used to heighten atmosphere. Recently, his work has begun to receive the attention it is due.
For a small picture, Clarice Beckett's 'Beach Road, Beaumaris,' (c1919) is dramatic in its impact; looking through her paintings gives the impression she saw in soft focus - the fairly consistent lack of brushstrokes makes the paint appear to float on the surface of the canvas.
November 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
For a small picture, Clarice Beckett's 'Beach Road, Beaumaris,' (c1919) is dramatic in its impact; looking through her paintings gives the impression she saw in soft focus - the fairly consistent lack of brushstrokes makes the paint appear to float on the surface of the canvas.
'Autumn.' (1908) Leo Putz studied at the Académie Julian under William Bouguereau but despite his academic training, he was more interested in avant garde subjects and impressionistic forms of expression being pioneered by Gauguin and Renoir, which informed his own work.
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
'Autumn.' (1908) Leo Putz studied at the Académie Julian under William Bouguereau but despite his academic training, he was more interested in avant garde subjects and impressionistic forms of expression being pioneered by Gauguin and Renoir, which informed his own work.
My recent piece for The Spectator on the poor state of art history teaching in British universities is now on my website. Much more on this subject to come richardmorris.org/blog-1-1/save-… The picture below is 'Caldy Island,' (1926) by David Jones.
November 13, 2025 at 10:45 AM
My recent piece for The Spectator on the poor state of art history teaching in British universities is now on my website. Much more on this subject to come richardmorris.org/blog-1-1/save-… The picture below is 'Caldy Island,' (1926) by David Jones.
A watercolour (1903) by Archibald Knox of Kella Mill at Sulby on the lsle of Man, the island where he spent most of his early life. 'The places I paint are within short walks from home; one day something never seen before, an appearance of light on colour.'
November 13, 2025 at 8:59 AM
A watercolour (1903) by Archibald Knox of Kella Mill at Sulby on the lsle of Man, the island where he spent most of his early life. 'The places I paint are within short walks from home; one day something never seen before, an appearance of light on colour.'
In the mid-1870s Guiseppe De Nittis travelled to London where he painted a series of urban scenes, including the Houses of Parliament - these reflected the innovations he had learned from Edgar Degas who had invited him to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition.
November 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
In the mid-1870s Guiseppe De Nittis travelled to London where he painted a series of urban scenes, including the Houses of Parliament - these reflected the innovations he had learned from Edgar Degas who had invited him to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition.
William Nicholson was always torn between the need to paint society portraits and his love for still lifes and landscape painting. His admiration of Manet is evident in this still life - the eye is led into the picture’s depth by the black pansy, the title of this work from 1910.
November 12, 2025 at 6:01 PM
William Nicholson was always torn between the need to paint society portraits and his love for still lifes and landscape painting. His admiration of Manet is evident in this still life - the eye is led into the picture’s depth by the black pansy, the title of this work from 1910.
Cézanne produced a number of sketches of his son Paul. This is from 1880 - it was a decade of great emotional turbulence for Cézanne, a disastrous affair, the break-up with Emile Zola, the abrupt decision to marry his long-time companion Hortense, and the death of his father
November 12, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Cézanne produced a number of sketches of his son Paul. This is from 1880 - it was a decade of great emotional turbulence for Cézanne, a disastrous affair, the break-up with Emile Zola, the abrupt decision to marry his long-time companion Hortense, and the death of his father
'Bredon Water,' (1871) lies near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, it's a rare landscape for Frederick Sandys, a key member of the Pre Raphaelite circle. We can sense Sandys grappling with technical and conceptual issues of authenticity versus finish and originality versus convention.
November 12, 2025 at 8:29 AM
'Bredon Water,' (1871) lies near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, it's a rare landscape for Frederick Sandys, a key member of the Pre Raphaelite circle. We can sense Sandys grappling with technical and conceptual issues of authenticity versus finish and originality versus convention.
Eric Kennington's career as a War Artist began in the latter half of WW1. 'Sleeping Soldier,' was included in an exhibition of chalk drawings at the Leicester Galleries in London in an exhibition titled 'The British Soldier,' during the summer of 1918.
November 11, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Eric Kennington's career as a War Artist began in the latter half of WW1. 'Sleeping Soldier,' was included in an exhibition of chalk drawings at the Leicester Galleries in London in an exhibition titled 'The British Soldier,' during the summer of 1918.