Stanhope Forbes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanhope Forbes
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| Born | 18 November 1857 Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
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| Died | 2 March 1947 (aged 89) |
| Education | Lambeth School of Art, Royal Academy, and in Paris under Léon Bonnat |
| Known for | Painter |
| Movement | Newlyn School |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Forbes |
| Awards | RA |
Stanhope Alexander Forbes (18 November 1857 – 2 March 1947) was a famous British artist. He was a key founder of the important Newlyn School of painters. Many people called him 'the father of the Newlyn School'.
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Stanhope Forbes' Life Story
Forbes was born in Dublin, Ireland. His mother, Juliette de Guise Forbes, was French. His father, William Forbes, was an English railway manager. The family later moved to London. Stanhope also had an older brother, Sir William Forbes, who also worked in railways.
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In 1889, Forbes married another painter, Elizabeth Armstrong. They got married in Newlyn, a village in Cornwall, England. Their first home was a cottage by the sea.
They had a son named Alexander, known as Alec, born in 1893. The family built a new home in Penzance, Cornwall. Sadly, Elizabeth passed away in 1912.
In 1915, Forbes married Maudie Palmer. She had been a friend and helper to his family. During the First World War, his son Alec joined the army. Alec was killed in battle in 1916. Stanhope Forbes created a memorial for his son at their local church.
Forbes lived a long life and passed away in Newlyn in 1947. He was 89 years old. He was buried in the churchyard of Sancreed Parish Church.
Becoming an Artist: Stanhope Forbes' Education
Forbes went to Dulwich College for his early education. He studied art with John Sparkes. Later, his family moved to Brussels, Belgium, for a short time. This gave him more time to draw.
When his family returned to London, John Sparkes helped convince Forbes' father about his son's art talent. Stanhope then attended Lambeth School of Art. By 1878, he was studying at the Royal Academy Schools. Here, he met other future artists like Arthur Hacker. He also had his first art show there.
Forbes also spent time in Ireland, painting landscapes in the Galway area. He received his first job to paint a portrait there. Later, he painted a portrait of a doctor's daughter, Florence, which was shown at the Royal Academy in 1879.
From 1880 to 1882, he studied art in Paris, France. He learned from a famous teacher named Léon Bonnat. While in Paris, Forbes and his friend Henry Herbert La Thangue traveled to Cancale, a town in Brittany, France. They started painting en plein air, which means painting outdoors. This became a very important technique for Forbes throughout his career.
Brittany was a great place for artists. It had unique people in traditional clothes and old villages. Forbes' painting from there, A Street in Brittany, was very popular at the 1882 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. It was later bought by the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Stanhope Forbes' Art Career and the Newlyn School
After finishing his studies in France, Forbes moved to Newlyn in Cornwall in 1884. He quickly became a leader among the many artists who gathered there. He loved Newlyn, saying it felt like home. Many young English painters were drawn to this beautiful part of England.
Forbes' first painting in Newlyn was called The Slip. The group of artists in Newlyn, known as the Newlyn School, became famous after Forbes' paintings were shown at the Royal Academy in 1885. The Tate Gallery in London bought his painting The Health of the Bride. Another famous painting, A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach, also brought attention to Forbes and the Newlyn artists.
In 1892, Forbes became an Associate of the Royal Academy. He also helped start the Newlyn Art Gallery in 1895.
In 1899, Forbes and his wife started the Newlyn Art School. This school attracted many students, including Ernest and Doris "Dod" Shaw. The school helped the Newlyn area, which was facing tough times because fishing and mining were declining. It encouraged people to visit, study, and create art there.
In 1910, Forbes was elected a full Royal Academician. He also joined the St Ives Society of Artists in 1928.
Stanhope Forbes' Artistic Works
Forbes mostly painted everyday scenes and landscapes outdoors, using the en plein air technique. His painting After a Day's Work (1907) shows a rainy village street in Cornwall. You can see a man leading his horse, with light reflecting off the wet road.
He also painted indoor scenes, capturing the cozy and charming effects of light. An example is The Lantern (1897). His paintings often showed a deep understanding of people. For example, The Health of the Bride shows real, living people in a humble room.
Another artist, Norman Garstin, said that Forbes was a "good unsentimental painter" and that his work felt very sincere.
Some of his other well-known works include:
- A Street in Brittany, 1881, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
- A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach, 1884–85, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
- The Health of the Bride, 1889, Tate Gallery, London
- By Order of the Court, 1889
- The 22nd January 1901: Reading the News of Queen Victoria's Death in a Cornish Cottage, 1901, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter
- The pier head, 1910, Geelong Art Gallery, Australia
- Second Lieutenant Alec Forbes (1893–1916) Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 1916 Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Museum
- Abbey Slip, 1921, Penlee House
- Young anglers at Hayle, 1930
- The Great Fire of London 1666, 1899, mural at the Royal Exchange, London
Forbes' paintings can be found in many museums. These include the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Gallery in London, Penlee House in Cornwall, and museums in Australia and New Zealand.
The West Cornwall Art Archive in Penzance has a special "Forbes Reading Room." It contains books and information about the art of Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes and their students.
Exhibitions of Stanhope Forbes' Art
Forbes' paintings have been shown in many exhibitions.
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