Herbert James Draper

Herbert James Draper (November 1863 (or 1864)[1] – 22 September 1920) was an English Classicist painter whose career began in the Victorian era and extended through the first two decades of the 20th century.

Herbert James Draper
Herbert James Draper
Born
Herbert James Draper

November 1863 (or 1864)
London, England
Died22 September 1920
London, England
NationalityEnglish
EducationSt John's Wood Art School
Known forPainting
Notable work
The Lament for Icarus, 1898
MovementClassicism
AwardsGold Medal, 1890
Travelling Scholarship, 1890

Life

Born in London, the son of a jeweller named Henry Draper and his wife Emma,[2] he was educated at Bruce Castle School in Tottenham[3] and then went on to study art at the Royal Academy.[3] He undertook several educational trips to Rome and Paris between 1888 and 1892, having won the Royal Academy Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship in 1889. In the 1890s, he worked as an illustrator, eventually settling in London. In 1891, he married Ida (née Williams), with whom he had a daughter, Yvonne.[3] He died of arteriosclerosis at the age of 56, in his home on Abbey Road.

Career

Draper's most productive period began in 1894. He focused mainly on mythological themes from ancient Greece. His painting The Lament for Icarus (1898) won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900 and was later bought for the Tate Gallery by the Chantrey Trustees. He was also responsible for the decoration of the ceiling of the Drapers' Hall in the City of London.[3][4] Though Draper was neither a member nor an associate of the Royal Academy, he took part in the annual expositions from 1890 on.[3] In later years as the public tastes changed and mythological scenes became less popular he concentrated more on portraits.[3][5]

During his lifetime Draper was quite famous, a well-known portrait painter. In his last years, his popularity faded, though there has recently been a revival of interest in his work on the art market.[6] The sale of his painting The Sea Maiden by the Royal Cornwall Museum in 2010, to help secure its finances, generated debate about the policy of disposing of art works for this purpose.[7]

Simon Toll's book on Draper, published by the Antique Collector's Club is the only modern study of his work and includes a full catalogue of his drawings and paintings.

  • The Vintage Morn
  • A Young Girl by a Pool
  • Calypso's Isle
  • The Kelpie, 1903
  • Tristan and Isolde
  • The Water Nymph, 1908
  • Ida Draper
  • Ariadne
  • A Nymph in a Sunlit Glade
  • By Summer Seas
  • The Pearls of Aphrodite
  • The Lamia, 1909
  • Bather
  • Art and the Jade
  • Portrait Of Miss Barbara De Selincourt
  • Clyties of the Mist
  • The Lament for Icarus, 1898
  • For Saint Dorothea's Day, 1899
  • A Water Baby
  • Prospero
  • The Sea Maiden
  • Gates of Dawn
  • In the Studio
  • Sea Melodies
  • Ulysses and the Sirens
  • Halcyone, 1915

Notes
  1. "Herbert Draper". Tate. 1920-09-22. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  2. 1871 British census entry for 32 New Bond Street, Westminster
  3. The Times, Thursday, Sep 23, 1920; pg. 1; Issue 42523; col A
  4. Prospero summoning Nymphs and Deities
  5. At a charity auction for the Red Cross in 1918 his offer to paint a child's portrait brought in a bid of £250:The Times Monday, Jul 15, 1918; pg. 4; Issue 41842; col A
  6. His painting The Sea Maiden was sold for £937,250 ($1,384,318) in Sale 7856 at Christie's in London, 16 June 2010
  7. The Independent, 26 July 2010: Jenkins, Tiffany, 'Don't put a price on our national treasures' Independent.co.uk

Further reading
  • Toll, Simon: Herbert Draper 1863–1920: A Life Study (Antique Collector's Club; 2003). ISBN 1-85149-378-6
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.