19C Women in Gardens - British

 

George Clausen (British painter) 1852 - 1944 Daydreams in the Garden 1883

George Clausen (1852–1944) – Biography

George Clausen, born in London on April 18, 1852, was a prominent British painter and a key figure in the New English Art Club. Known for his naturalistic style and focus on rural life, Clausen was deeply influenced by French naturalism, particularly by the works of Jules Bastien-Lepage. He studied at the South Kensington School of Art and the Académie Julian in Paris, where he was exposed to plein air painting and the tenets of realism.

In his early career, Clausen depicted rural scenes with a social message, emphasizing the hardships and dignity of rural laborers. His work, often focused on light and atmosphere, evolved over time to include a more impressionistic touch, though he remained committed to depicting everyday life. Clausen became a respected academician, holding several important teaching posts, including a professorship at the Royal Academy Schools.

His career spanned over six decades, during which he exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Grosvenor Gallery, and other prestigious institutions. Clausen's work from the First World War period, when he was appointed as an official war artist, took on a more somber tone. He captured the emotional toll of the war in works like The Road to the Trenches (1919).

In addition to painting, Clausen wrote extensively on art and technique, contributing significantly to art theory during his time. He passed away in Newbury, Berkshire, in November 1944 at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of works that captured the life of rural England and its people.

Bibliography

Books

Blunt, Wilfrid. England in the Age of George Clausen. London: Faber and Faber, 1976.

Clausen, George. Aims and Ideals in Art. London: Methuen & Co., 1906.

Clausen, George. The Art of George Clausen, R.A., with an Introduction and Notes by the Artist. London: Ernest Brown and Phillips, 1923.

Cursiter, Stanley. George Clausen, A.R.A.: A Study of His Art. London: Odhams Press, 1920.

Johnson, W. McAllister. George Clausen and the Picture of English Rural Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981.

Tovey, Donald. British Painters and the Pre-Raphaelite Movement. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1955.

Willsdon, Claire. The Cult of the Farmer: Representations of Rural Life in British Painting, 1880-1914. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000.

Articles

Carrier, David. "The Role of Rural Life in George Clausen's Works." Art Journal, vol. 38, no. 2, 1979, pp. 128-134.

Fleming, Gordon H. "George Clausen: A Modern Realist." The Burlington Magazine, vol. 118, no. 880, 1976, pp. 607-610.

Harding, Jennifer. "Nature and Industrialism in Clausen's Early Work." Journal of British Studies, vol. 42, no. 3, 1985, pp. 289-307.

Harrison, Charles. "Reassessing the New English Art Club and Clausen’s Impact." The Art Bulletin, vol. 72, no. 1, 1990, pp. 47-60.

Newall, Christopher. "George Clausen's Depiction of Labor: Realism or Idealism?" The Victorian Review, vol. 15, no. 3, 1989, pp. 15-26.

Stephens, F.G. "Rural Aesthetics in Clausen’s Paintings." Art Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 4, 1928, pp. 401-417.

Thompson, James. "Clausen’s War Art: An Artist’s Response to Conflict." British Art Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, 2002, pp. 85-93.

Woolford, Susan. "The British Countryside in the Age of Industrialization: George Clausen and His Contemporaries." Oxford Art Journal, vol. 34, no. 4, 1998, pp. 423-438.