Elizabeth Murray (painter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Murray
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Dotty Dimple, a watercolour by Elizabeth Murray in 1869
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| Born |
Elizabeth Heaphy
1815 |
| Died | 8 December 1882 (aged 66–67) Sanremo, Italy
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| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Elizabeth Heaphy Murray |
| Occupation | Painter, author |
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Notable work
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Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands |
| Spouse(s) | Henry John Murray |
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Elizabeth Murray (born Elizabeth Heaphy, 1815 – 8 December 1882) was a talented British watercolour artist. She was known for painting amazing portraits and beautiful landscapes. She spent ten years living in the Canary Islands, which are a group of islands off the coast of Africa.
Elizabeth was a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours. In 1857, she helped start the Society of Female Artists in London. This group gave women artists a chance to show and sell their work.
Elizabeth's father, Thomas Heaphy, was also a watercolour painter. She learned to paint from him and they often traveled and painted together. Elizabeth loved to travel and lived in many different places around the world. She painted scenes and portraits from these locations, including Rome, Morocco, the Canary Islands (especially Tenerife), and New England in the United States.
She married Henry John Murray, a British consul, whom she met in Morocco. She moved with him as his job took them to new places.
In 1859, Elizabeth published a two-book set called Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands. People in the Canary Islands didn't like the book much. This was because it criticized their society and Spanish officials. Because of this, her husband asked to be moved. In 1860, they moved to Portland, Maine in the United States.
Elizabeth Murray's Life Story
Elizabeth Heaphy was born in 1815 in London, England. Her parents were Mary Stevenson and Thomas Heaphy. Her father, Thomas, was a very busy watercolour painter. He also helped start the Royal Society of British Artists. He often painted battle scenes and portraits of important officers.
Elizabeth grew up in a home where art was very important. She played with her father's art models and started learning to draw with them. When she was about five years old, her mother passed away.
Elizabeth had four brothers and sisters. Her brother Thomas and sister Mary Ann were also painters. Her brother Charles became an explorer and soldier. She also had another sister whose name is not known.
Living in Rome (1831)
In 1831, Elizabeth moved to Rome, Italy, with her father and brother Thomas. She greatly improved her painting skills there. The artistic atmosphere of the city really inspired her. A famous French painter named Horace Vernet noticed her work. He was surprised by her talent and became interested in her studies.
While in Rome, Elizabeth became known as the petite anglaise, which means "little Englishwoman." She painted old sculptures and scenes from everyday life.
A Trip Home to England
On her way back to England, Elizabeth and her father stopped in Cambrai, France. She found the city beautiful and decided to paint it. A crowd gathered to watch her. But when she finished, she was accused of being a spy and taken to prison!
She was released after a few hours. She was watched at a hotel while her father's coach was searched. When the French police didn't find any secret papers, Elizabeth and her father were set free. They were even invited to paint the city's fortresses. But her father refused, and they left the city.
Living in Morocco (1842–1850)
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While in Morocco, Elizabeth was fascinated by the landscapes, the busy markets (souq), and the local women. She wrote about her adventures and observations in Morocco in the first part of her book, Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands.
She decorated her home in Morocco with a mix of Moroccan and English styles. She called it her "dollhouse." It had a large patio and a beautiful painting of flowers and birds on the wall. During a time when France was bombing Morocco, she even used her home as a storage place for goods.
In 1846, Elizabeth Heaphy married Henry John Murray. He was a British consul in Tangier. From then on, she moved with her husband as his job required. After her marriage, she started signing her paintings as "Elizabeth Murray."
In 1849, the British consul general in the Canary Islands passed away. So, on August 23, 1850, Henry John Murray was chosen by the Queen to be the new British consul general there.
Living in Tenerife (1850–1859)
On their way to the Canary Islands, the Murrays traveled through Andalusia in Spain. They visited Cádiz and Seville. In Andalusia, Elizabeth became very interested in the paintings of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. She admired his work greatly. She was also amazed by the Seville Cathedral.
During her journey to the Canary Islands, she studied the other passengers and painted some of them. When she was 120 miles from Tenerife, she saw Mount Teide, a huge volcano. Its beauty and size made a big impression on her:
The air is clear, soft, and pleasing to the eye. Everything you see has a clear shape and deep color. This makes such a strong image in your mind that you can always remember it. If you have seen the Peak of Teneriffe in all its glory, you will never forget it. There is nothing else like it in the world.
—Elizabeth Heaphy de Murray, Sixteen years of an artist's life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands
She arrived in Tenerife on August 23, 1850. She traveled all around the island, writing down her observations for her book and painting landscapes and daily life.
In her book, she didn't mention her husband much. She said he was often busy, which is why she spent a lot of time exploring the countryside. He was very good at his job, helping both Britain and the Canary Islands during tough economic times. However, old newspapers mostly talked about Elizabeth and her art, not her husband.
Elizabeth first visited La Matanza de Acentejo. She stayed in a house where she could see Mount Teide. She said this town offered perhaps the best view of the volcano on the island. She also stayed in places like La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. She traveled to Gran Canaria with some English friends. She described Las Palmas as "sad and uninteresting" but found its people kind.
In 1857, during a trip to London, Elizabeth helped start The Society of Female Artists. She served on its first committee. She had been turned down by other art societies. This new society gave women artists another chance to show and sell their work. She showed fifteen watercolour paintings at its first exhibition. They received many good reviews in the newspapers. Some years before this, she had become a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours.
Working with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts
On October 31, 1849, Queen Isabella II ordered the creation of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Miguel Arcángel (RACBA). This was the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Miguel Arcángel, located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Seven months later, in May 1850, Elizabeth Murray was made an Honorary Academic of RACBA. She became very involved in the Academy's activities.
She took part in all exhibitions between 1850 and 1856. She became well-known for her work. In her first exhibitions, she showed paintings from places she had visited, like Greece, Morocco, and Seville. Later, she showed her paintings of the Canary Island landscapes and people.
Elizabeth Murray introduced the watercolour painting style to the Canary Islands. Her paintings of the Canary Island landscapes were especially good. But she mostly focused on painting portraits. She also loved architecture. She studied and painted the buildings of the Canary Islands. These included old convents and church towers.
Friends with the Diston Family
The Murrays were good friends with the Diston family. Alfred Diston was born in England and came to Tenerife in 1810. He was also an Honorary Academic of RACBA.
Elizabeth Murray painted a portrait of Alfred Diston. She also taught his daughter, Soledad "Solita" Diston y Orea, about art. Solita had her first art exhibition in 1854. She later went to England with Elizabeth to continue her studies.
Criticizing Canarian Society (1859)
In 1859, Elizabeth Murray published her book, Sixteen Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands. In it, she described the society of the Canary Islands at that time. She also explained some things about her artwork. Alfred Diston helped her greatly with notes about the islands' history, customs, and folklore.
However, people in the Canary Islands did not like Elizabeth's book. This was because she criticized their society. She also said that Spanish officials were careless and dishonest. And she commented on the decline of Tenerife.
Her book was written in English. But when parts of it were translated into Spanish and published in local newspapers, the criticism grew stronger. From this point on, her popularity declined. She was no longer as welcome in art circles.
Because of this, her husband, Consul Murray, likely asked to be moved to a new place. On March 3, 1860, he was assigned to the American states of Maine and New Hampshire. The Murrays then moved to Portland, Maine.
Living in Portland (1860–1876)
Elizabeth was very busy during the sixteen years she lived in the United States. She was mentioned in newspapers and magazines in Portland, Maine.
She also started writing again. But this time, she didn't write about her travels. Instead, she wrote about how to paint with watercolours. Her main work from this period was The Modern System of Painting in Watercolour from the Living Model. One reason for this change might have been that she didn't want to make new enemies with her writing. Another reason could be that she didn't find the same "exotic" places in America as she did in Morocco and Spain.
Later Years
On May 8, 1876, Henry Murray was assigned to Buenos Aires. However, it's not fully clear if they actually moved there. On October 1, 1879, Henry Murray retired from his job as a consul. Elizabeth Murray passed away on December 8, 1882, in San Remo, Italy.
Elizabeth Murray's Art
Elizabeth Murray mainly used watercolours to paint portraits, small pictures (miniatures), and landscapes. Her art often showed themes from the Mediterranean region and the Middle East (Orientalist themes). Her early work was clearly influenced by her father, Thomas Heaphy. After he passed away, she started painting more landscapes from her trips to Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands. Her paintings have a Romantic feel, with brushstrokes typical of the Victorian era.
Artistic Style: Romantic and Victorian
Romanticism was an art movement that focused on feelings and individual expression. It was different from older styles that valued order and calm.
English painters often painted landscapes of other regions and ancient cities. Elizabeth Murray traveled through France and Italy. But she mostly painted landscapes when she lived in Morocco and the Canary Islands. She was very drawn to Seville in Spain. She was part of a group of travelers who described Spain as a country full of energy and life, even though it also faced challenges. These travelers helped create a romantic image of Spain.
What Influenced Her Art
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Elizabeth's main influence was her father, Thomas Heaphy. He was a great portrait painter who used precise strokes to make faces look very real. When she was in Rome, she learned from Horace Vernet. This helped her improve her skills and learn how to arrange elements in her paintings well.
She also admired Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, a Spanish painter. She even copied one of his paintings, The Vision of Saint Anthony of Padua. This copy was shown at the Academy of Fine Arts in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1850.
Her Painting Methods
Elizabeth Murray mainly worked with watercolours. In England, watercolour painting became popular in the 1700s. The "traditional English method" involved layering thin washes of color to create depth. However, Elizabeth often used the gouache technique. This uses opaque (not see-through) colors.
Her paintings are known for their rich and bright colors. She used a lot of chestnut, blue, violet, pink, black, scarlet, and gold. She also used olive and tar colors in strong, bright shades. Her portraits were very accurate and delicate.
How She Arranged Her Paintings
Elizabeth created portraits with a similar style, whether she was painting men or women. She often arranged figures in a balanced way around a central line. She didn't always use traditional perspective (making things look far away). In some portraits, she used foreshortening, which makes parts of a figure look shorter because they are closer to the viewer. An example is her painting Beggars at a church door at Rome.
In some of her works, Elizabeth included up to eight different people. This was different from her father, who often used more people in his paintings. The colors and tones in her paintings were similar to her father's.
Her Artworks
It's hard to know the exact dates Elizabeth Murray created her paintings. Because she traveled so much, she likely sketched her initial drawings and then finished them later. Many of the dates for her paintings refer to when they were shown in an exhibition. When she arrived in a new place, she often showed work from where she had been before. For example, when she arrived in the Canary Islands, she showed paintings with Greek and Moroccan themes. When she arrived in Portland, she showed her work related to Spain.
Elizabeth created about 85 known artworks. These can be divided into three main groups:
- Portraits: These were the most important part of her art.
- General Scenes: Pictures of everyday life.
- Landscapes: Paintings of natural scenery.
Her Students
Because Elizabeth Murray moved so often, she didn't have many students. There are no records of her having students in Morocco. During her ten years in the Canary Islands, she had two known students: Soledad Diston and Juan B. Fierro Van de Walle Fierro y Valcarcel. She also had a group of American students when she lived in Portland.
Soledad Diston y Orea
Soledad Diston, also called Solita, was born on November 2, 1837. She was 13 years old when Elizabeth Murray arrived in the Canary Islands. The Murrays and Distons became friends quickly. Soledad's first art lessons were with Elizabeth Murray. She even traveled with Elizabeth to Tenerife to continue her studies.
In 1854, Soledad Diston showed her art alongside Elizabeth Murray at the Academy of Fine Arts. Soledad mostly painted portraits that captured people's faces very well. However, her art career was not very long. It ended when she got married.
Juan B. Fierro y Van de Walle Fierro y Valcárcel
Juan B. Fierro was born in Santa Cruz de La Palma on May 8, 1841. He was a captain in the local army and served as a representative for La Palma many times. He also directed a scientific society.
Juan Fierro was a student of Elizabeth Murray. He created many paintings that showed local customs and traditions. He also painted watercolours of typical clothing in La Palma. These paintings remind us of Soledad Diston's work, but with stronger colors. Fierro also drew funny pictures (caricatures) and painted on photographs. He died on November 2, 1930, at the age of 89.
American Students
Elizabeth Murray arrived in the United States when watercolour and gouache painting were becoming popular among young artists. Her art exhibitions encouraged these artists. She also published her book The Modern System of Painting in Watercolour from the Living Model in 1865. In this book, she shared all her experience.
Two of Elizabeth's American students were very notable: Julia C. Furbish in 1864 and Mary Rolfe in 1869. Julia Furbish was successful in the Boston area and specialized in portraits. She made a popular copy of Elizabeth's painting The Gipsy Cigar Girl. Mary Rolfe learned Elizabeth's painting techniques and how to use colors like olive. She focused on painting faces. Her painting Egiptian Girl was very successful when it was shown in 1869. What happened to these two artists later is not known.
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Heaphy de Murray para niños
- Works of Elizabeth Murray
- Thomas Heaphy
