Hilda Montalba was an English-born artist, one of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist Anthony Rubens Montalba. In the later part of the nineteenth century the family was based in Venice having moved there from their home in Notting Hill. The landscapes and the citizens of Venice proved a fruitful source of inspiration much as they had done for artists for centuries before this.
This charming and unassuming watercolour painting could easily be dismissed as a rather twee genre picture popular with the Victorian middle-classes. Yet it hides an intriguing tale of friendship, international travel and deposed dictators.
Visitors to the Hove Museum and Art Gallery might easily miss this small, unassuming portrait of a young lady reading a book. It is a simple yet intriguing composition that evokes a sense of serenity and calm.
On 26th November 1865 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published. This little book by Lewis Carroll changed the course of children’s literature. It proved to be enormously influential and remains as popular today as it has ever been.
The young Henry Stacy Marks was a keen artist and showed such little aptitude for business that his father preferred him to go to art school than to join the family firm of solicitors. It turned out to be a prescient decision as the business failed and Marks had to support not only his wife but his mother and three younger brothers on the proceeds of his art.
Despite its Venetian setting, this painting has a strong Cheshire connection. Its painter, Sir Samuel Luke Fildes, was born in Liverpool and studied both in Chester and at the Warrington School of Art. He was deeply influenced by his grandmother Mary Fildes, who was an early-suffragette and a key figure in the Peterloo Massacre of 1819.
Fildes shared his grandmother’s concern for the poor and was a firm believer that the power of art could influence public opinion. Throughout his career he painted many powerful paintings highlighting the suffering and injustices inflicted on the underprivileged. (more…)
Why you should see this painting:
This beautiful and timeless work is a reminder for us all to be grateful for what and who we have around us and to take satisfaction from the simple pleasures in life.
This charming if somewhat inauspicious painting currently on display in the Grosvenor Museum in Chester belies its impressive past. For many years it hung in nearby Hoole Hall where it would have been displayed prominently, thanks to the reputation of its artist. In the mid-nineteenth century John Frederick Herring was a successful artist who counted Queen Victoria, the Duke of Orleans and George IV as his patrons. Such high profile patronage ensured Herring’s works had a regular market amongst the gentry who would have been eager to impress their regal tastes upon their friends.
Sir (Samuel) Luke Fildes (1843-1927) was born in Liverpool, the son of a shipping agent.
He trained as an artist in both Warrington and Chester before winning a scholarship in London at what is now the Victoria & Albert Museum, later progressing to the Royal Academy School when his prodigious talent shone through. He made a notable and very well-received debut at the Royal Academy show with this portrayal of an idyllic scene. (more…)
Joseph Parry (1744 – 1826) was born in Liverpool and was originally apprenticed as a ship painter before his talent as an artist shone through. He lived and worked for much of his life in Manchester. Although he painted many subjects in his life including portraits and seascapes, his best known works are of everyday scenes such as Eccles Wakes Fair which he painted during his twilight years in 1822.
Michael Escolme 