16th Nov, 2024 9:30 GMT/BST
Born the son of the acclaimed painter John Atkinson Grimshaw, Louis Grimshaw was raised in Leeds. In a similar approach to his father, Louis Grimshaw was best known for his photo-realistic street scenes, beautifully lit by the moon. In fact, the two men would often collaborate on many pictures, with John painting the sky and backgrounds, and Louis painting the figures. Grimshaw’s considered use of a selective palette and accomplished handling of light allows the artist to create a sensuous and ethereal atmosphere in his works. Eventually, the unpredictable nature of life as an artist influenced Grimshaw to abandon his painting career, instead joining the Manchester Guardian as a cartographer in 1905, thus leaving behind a small but high-quality body of paintings, which do not appear on the market often.
Loose lined? A newer, tawny coloured canvas at the reverse does not appear to be fully adhered to the back of the canvas. A rectangle of this canvas has been cut out to expose the inscription on the back of the original canvas, surrounded by masking tape. Possibly just the lining adhesive failing around the area of the cut out. All keys present, fair tension.
Brittle age throughout the picture, some slightly elevated, but all appears secure. Cracks most evident in the sky and at the stretcher bars. Patches of overpaint middle and top of left edge, and a few unretouched tiny losses middle left edge. Several passages of retouching in the sky (see uv images), and scattered further brushy retouchings in the water and foreground, possibly to abrasion/tiny losses. Slight abrasion in trees (see images). Two matt drip marks in sky. Broad curving scratch through second tree from right and the building, and a 1.5inch scratch in the reeds bottom right, with associated tiny losses of paint.
A little ingrained dirt and old degraded varnish, a few tiny white flecks, light surface dirt and dust.
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Auction: British, European & Sporting Art, 16th Nov, 2024
The Autumn British, European and Sporting Art Sale will include a sun-drenched work by British Impressionist painter Dorothea Sharp, two works by Louis H Grimshaw consigned from a private collection, and notable genre pieces by the likes of Giovanni Battista Torriglia and Charles Spencelayh.
A good offering of figural works include a male figure attributed to York-born artist William Etty, and 17th and 18th century portraits, and amongst the Sporting art are examples of the work of Robert Nightingale and Wright Barker.
The sale will go on view to the public from Sunday 10th November, alongside The Selected Contents of Bell Hall, Naburn, York, which will also offer a broad range of traditional and contemporary paintings.
Viewing
Sunday 10 November to Friday 15 November 11am-4pm and morning of the sale from 8am
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