The Royle family, Part II: Stanley Royle

Stanley Royle,
( R.C.A., R.B.A., A.R.W.A.)
(1888-1961)

British landscape painter and illustrator.

Jean’s father, Stanley Royle, was a respected British R.B.A. landscape painter and illustrator who exhibited at the Royal British Academy of whom I’ll show some nice paintings. This wintery British Blues scene reminding me of Clive’s recent posting on Hiroshi Yoshida Blues)
In many of his paintings Royle talents as an illustrator is clear: they could easily be transferred into poster art.


But the surprise was finding this pastel (1922) a composition of impressive trees (elms ?) and farmhouses set in a landscape. This composition will be recognized by every print enthousiast. I think.
The subject (and even the background landscape) having great resemblance with Sylvan Boxsius (1978-1941) most famous print “Autumn”.
There are two more similarly and impressively designed prints ( I know of) by Boxsius, one called “Pines” (R.) the other “at Winchelsea” (L.). The two obviously belonging together, Winchelsea is located near to the British Channel coast.

Where the farmhouses in Boxsius’ “Autumn” print are located I don’t know. The Boxsius family was from London origin I believe (there was a furrier Boxsius in London’s Milton street 62 in the 1830’s). The Royle family originating and living in the Sheffield area and choosing his artistic subjects from the Derbyshire and Yorkshire countryside.

More on Jean and Stanly Royle here:

http://www.jean-royle.com/
http://www.stanley-royle.com/

The Royle family Part I: Jean Royle

Jean Royle
(1915-2002)

English painter and linocut printer.

Today I'ld like to start with sharing the finding of these linoleum cut card designs by Jean Royle. This find leading to an unexpected encouner with a print by Sylvan Boxsius (1878-1941), the English printmaker in part 2. Boxsius inspiring Charles from Modern Printmakers and Clive from Art and the Aesthete showing, writing and discussing his prints. Follow the sidebar for Links to these great Blogs.

Jean Royle made these card designs in the 1980’s according to information from the website dedicated to the works of her and her father, (see below for the Link). I like them very much because of their “simple” but very strong composition.




This poppies and tree landscape designs are very much in the style of Dutch printer Arie Zonneveld’s (1905-1941) little landscape print half a century earlier.



Last these two examples of landscapes showing Jean Royle had a sensitive eye and was very able capturing, in oil, the mood of a late summers day in the English countyside.


More on Jean Royle at: http://www.jean-royle.com/

Next: 2: Stanley Royle, Jeans father.

Margarete Gerhardt

L.E. Margarete Gerhardt

(Frankfurt a/d Oder 1878- Berlin 1958)

German landscape painter etcher and blockprint artist.


(This posting has been updated on july 4th 2011)

Most print print lovers and collectors will recognize this fine print of sailing boats in the Baltic. The makers signature however, L.E. Marg. Gerhardt, orig. Schnitt Handdruck, not all that easy to read, even from the original. My attempts to identify the artist by way of the Internet failed. Sofar.

Above typicle Baltic or Ostsee sailing vessels. Daniël Staschuss (1872-1953) also depicted these ships on woodblock prints from the town of Nida (Nidden) when he and his artist wife lived there in the artist colony.

Searching on the Internet I stumbled upon a second print, of a farm house with the same signature. 

Margarethe was born 1873 in Frankfurt a.d. Oder  Lina Elisabeth Margarete Gearhardt dr. of Carl August Friedrich G. and Rosa Dorothea Bach. She was trained a teacher at the Königliche Luisenschule, a private and elite school in Berlin, which had a very good reputation for teaching art and music.

She studied landscape painting with landscape painter Wilhelm Feldmann (1859-1932), and later also in etching with graphic artist and master etcher Hermann Struck (1876-1944) who taught also German impressionist painter Max Liebermann (1847-1935) and Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Both artists rising to global fame.

(Brooklyn Bridge N.Y. 1922, by teacher Hermann Struck)

Writing this posting and again searching old auction catalogues I found a third block print. Sold in 2010. Of the old bridge in Limburg-an-der-Lahn (above). The scene today is somewhat different. The building on the left is gone but was still there in 1911 (see the old postcard) and survived WW-I. It whitnesses how acurate Margarethe was with the carving knife. The medieval house was probably destroyed in WW-II as was the bridge (build 1315!) which has been rebuild. Hopefully more examples of Margarethes block prints will show up in future.

Ludwig Bürgel, updating.

Before revealing my newest discoveries in the world of block printing I want to share this little update on the works of Austrian printer Ludwig Bürgel (1901-1972). Since my last posting (December 19th 2010) and knowing the identity of the maker I recently discovered some more examples of this printer/etcher. Interesting enough to update the earlier posting I hope. Trying to be "complete" is a symptom common amongst the more serious and afflicted collectors.

The two postings combined it is beginning to look like a nice collection. For readers interested in my print (below): please contact me. I recently decided to narrow down my field of interest more to flower prints and prints with flowers. Stylish this mountain scene could well be a counterpart for the opening print in this posting.

Meryl Watts, Welsh printmaker

Meryl Watts

(1910-1992)

English Painter and woodblock printer.

I have long been in doubt as to write this posting. It’s not a home match. Also when I stumbled upon some examples of prints by Meryl Watts I was very much annoyed by the poor quality of (all !) the pictures.

(John Edgar Platt (Underground London Zoo poster 1924)

Ridden with moisture (foxing), heavily stained and dirty. All of them. To this day I am not sure why. Maybe it has to do with coastal Portmeirion, Wales, England. All examples shown on the internet seem to have a local owners origin. But they look as if they’d been tucked away in the garden shed. For decades. How sad. How very sad. (John Edgar Platt)

Meryl Watts was an active and flamboyant member of Portmeirions community after she and her family were bombed out of London’s East End in 1943. Am enthousiast smoker, very social and married well in her 60’s to English professor Joseph Stanly Allen she was a real local bohemian and icon in Portmeirion in the 50-60’s.(London, Blackheath, this early print clearly showing the influence from teacher J.E. Platt to teacher Urushibara)

(John Edgar Platt)

(L: Meryl Watts - R: John Edgar Platt)

She sold her work, paintings, prints and postcards in touristic Portmeirion, the mediteranian build town and dream of architect Sir Clough William Ellis to whom and his family Meryl had a special relationship. Roughly between 1943 and 1968. In most examples shown here I have taken the liberty, time and trouble to "remove" the stains, the gray shade of dust and durt and “cleaning” them in Photoshop. (The three little lambs, and the moonfish, the snow pine i.p.) You may think of it what you like but for the purpous of showing them here I think it has done them well. They deserved it. Her prints are numbered x/50 so there must be enough still around. I traced some 30 different prints. Some very nice animal prints but many are of the surrounding and beautiful Wales. To my surprise I learned she was a pupil of John Edgar Platt (1886-1967) at Blackheath School of Art, London. Today I show you my choice. The apprentice- and relationship to John Edgar Platt is very undeniable and obvious in many of her prints. I personally think she’s great. The wash like structure of the background very much in the old tradition. And is so difficult to get it right. In every print. I’ve added some of Platt’s prints for the interest of comparing. In her days Meryl exhibited at the Royal Academy 1938 and after the War worldwide with the British Council. I hope you’ll enjoy this acquaintance with this remarkable but almost forgotten artist.