George Bissill (1896-1973)
Exploring the Lake District
Watercolour
20 x 28 cm
Born in 1896, George Bissill was a British miner, painter and furniture designer. Raised in the mining village of Langley Mill, Derbyshire, Bissill became a miner at the age of 13, before leaving to join the war effort in 1915. Upon his return from the war after being gassed, Bissill chose to become a pavement artist outside the newly erected Bush House in Aldwych, painting from his memory and his sketch book the uncompromising underground world he had inhabited.
In 1935 he moved to the countryside near Newbury, where he lived and worked as a landscape painter, art restorer and dealer until his death in 1973.
This watercolour forms part of a larger collection, ‘unseen since they were taken from George Bissil’s studio in 1983’ and restored by Kate Pattinson. A series of planned exhibitions were cancelled due to Covid, but two shows, one in Oxford and one in Ilkeston, did take place. Through such exhibitions, Pattinson hoped to ‘restore the reputation of an artist who, through mighty endeavour, conquered the art world in the 1920s with his powerful, authentic and experimental pictures.’
Bissill’s paintings are also held in a number of important public collections, including the Tate Gallery, National Museum of Ireland and the Manchester Art Gallery.
One of Bissill’s most powerful and expertly executed watercolours, this painting depicts a view over the shores of a lake in the Lake District. The sky is overcast, the fells are sparse–painted with muddy tones–, and yet flashes of colour appear on the shoreline as visitors enjoy the offerings of the majestic scenery. The figures seem to be passing their time skimming pebbles, conversing and hiking up the craggy paths of the fells, with their presence lending a lightness to the dramatic scenery.
Condition: generally very good.
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