Walter Sickert
Born – Munich, Germany 1860
Died – Bath, England 1942
In 1869 Walter Sickert’s family moved permanently to London. After a brief career as an actor, Sickert studied at the Slade School of Art from 1881-1882. He was a pupil and studio assistant of Whistler, whose limited tonal range later influenced Sickert’s palette. In 1883 he met Degas in Paris. This lifelong friendship reinforced his earlier interest in the theatre and it became a staple theme of his work. Sickert joined and exhibited with the New English Art Club in 1888. Between 1895 and 1905 he divided his time between working in Dieppe and Venice. Back in London, he linked the artistic activities in London and developments in France, proving influential to the Camden Town Group and The London Group. The strength of his views and his importance as a teacher were considerable and sustained. His scenes of intimacy within domestic interiors were often misinterpreted as sordid and the low-key, naturalistic colours in dim light seen as dull. In tonal contrast his painting, Minnie Cunningham at the Old Bedford is typical of numerous works that focuses on stars of the music hall. In late works his touch and palette became lighter and his composition more reliant on photographs.
Masterpieces:
- La Hollandaise Nude
- Ennui
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About walter sickert
Sickert: Paintings and Drawings (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
Dr. Wendy Baron
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Walter Sickert: The Camden Town Nudes
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Walter Sickert: A Life
Matthew Sturgis
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