Private
Collection
Collection
Alfred Kingsley Lawrence
(1893 - 1975)
Portrait of a Lady, circa 1923
Private Collection
Alfred Kingsley Lawrence (1893 - 1975)
Signed, dated and inscribed
Gouache, 13 1/2 x 20 1/2 in. (34.3 x 52 cm.)
Size:
Height – 34.3cm
Width – 52cm
Lawrence was the Rome Scholar in Painting for 1923, following on from
Monnington (1922) and Knights (1920), both of who were at the School
during his three year stay. This gouache, completed shortly after
Lawrence’s arrival, was part of a series of studies of studies made on
the spot. At the beginning of their Scholarships artists were
encouraged to study the principal Roman archeological sites in order to
draw inspiration from them. The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine
(sometimes known as the
Basilica Nova – meaning “new basilica” – or Basilica of Maxentius) was
the largest building in the Forum and is considered to amongst the most
remarkable surviving examples of Roman engineering. Lawrence was
unusual amongst his peers in so far as he clearly embraced the lure of
Roman archeological remains – Knights and Monnington were by contrast
drawn, almost exclusive, to the landscape outside Rome, and appear to
have made no studies of a similar nature.
Painter of pictures and murals and draughtsman, born in Lewes, Sussex. He studied at King Edward VII School of Art in Newcastle upon Tyne under Richard Hatton, at Royal College of Art with William Rothenstein and then in Italy as a Prix de Rome winner, 1923. Elected RA in 1938. Lawrence was a fine figure painter and a RA stalwart for many years, his work having a strong underlying draughtsmanship. Also showed RP of which he was a member and widely abroad. Among Lawrence’s notable murals are ones in Laing Art Gallery and Museum, Newcastle; Palace of Westminster; and Bank of England. Lived in London.
During WW1 Lawrence was in the Tyneside Pioneers, and according to Richard Dunning was in the front line 100 yards from Lochnagar when it was blown up. Given that the (unannounced) 27 ton explosion was heard and felt in Kew, it must have unnerved him considerably – fortunately the Pioneers were the only troops, out of 100,000, who didn’t go over the top on that day. Lawrences masterpiece, The Altruists, (first exhibited at British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, 1924, then British Pavilion, 1925 Paris and now lost) showing First World War soldiers and a selection of robed figures grouped on either side of a risen Christ, was his most ambitious serious attempt to sublimate his traumatic WW1 experiences.
With thanks to artbiogs.co.uk
