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Henry Moore's passion was the sea, the waves, the changes caused by the tides, the threatening storms captivated him from an early age. Moore was born in Castlegate in 1831 into a family of artists that basically allowed no other career for him. His father William Moore was a well-known portrait painter. He initially took over the education of his talented son before sending him to London to the York School of Design. Already during his studies Moore's pictures were exhibited at the Royal Academy. Further exhibitions followed almost in quick succession: Portland Gallery, British Institution, Gallery of the Society of British Artists. He devoted his first works exclusively to landscape painting. For two years he travelled through England, Ireland, Switzerland, Scotland and France. His Alpine and British landscapes showed the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite influence, a group of artists who had come together in England in the mid-19th century.
That the sea would determine his future became apparent after Moore's journey to the arts of North Devon. The sea fascinated him, and he recorded in his paintings every little change in the waves. He devoted himself to the study of the tides, observing the sea at all times of the day and in all weathers. Dramatic scenes of boats tossed back and forth by the waves were usually captured in oil on canvas. But he was also a master of watercolor. He used this method especially, in calm weather, when the sea lay smooth and silky in the dusk, such as in "A calm evening".
After his marriage in 1860 to Mary Bollans, who kept everything away from him that might keep the artist from his painting, Moore once again performed an artistic turn. No longer painting only from the beach, he now painted ships lashed by storms, lurching like nutshells on the waves. Moore translated these feelings, coupled with his observations, into a precision that earned him great acclaim. He was considered, along with John Brett, painter and astronomer, to be the leading marine painter. Henry Moore was showered with prizes and awards. Among others, he received the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition of 1889 and, as a result, the Order of the Legion of Honor. Moore was obviously not an easy contemporary. He was considered contentious and his contacts with fellow artists were limited. It was probably for this reason that he was not offered membership of the Royal Academy until 1880. He also largely compartmentalized his private life. He spent most of his career with his wife in Sheffield Terrace, Kensington, where they raised their daughters Agnes and Florence. Agnes later followed in his footsteps and became a flower painter. In the late 1880s the family moved to the Hampstead district. Henry Moore died in 1885, and his works now hang in the Tate, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others.
Henry Moore's passion was the sea, the waves, the changes caused by the tides, the threatening storms captivated him from an early age. Moore was born in Castlegate in 1831 into a family of artists that basically allowed no other career for him. His father William Moore was a well-known portrait painter. He initially took over the education of his talented son before sending him to London to the York School of Design. Already during his studies Moore's pictures were exhibited at the Royal Academy. Further exhibitions followed almost in quick succession: Portland Gallery, British Institution, Gallery of the Society of British Artists. He devoted his first works exclusively to landscape painting. For two years he travelled through England, Ireland, Switzerland, Scotland and France. His Alpine and British landscapes showed the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite influence, a group of artists who had come together in England in the mid-19th century.
That the sea would determine his future became apparent after Moore's journey to the arts of North Devon. The sea fascinated him, and he recorded in his paintings every little change in the waves. He devoted himself to the study of the tides, observing the sea at all times of the day and in all weathers. Dramatic scenes of boats tossed back and forth by the waves were usually captured in oil on canvas. But he was also a master of watercolor. He used this method especially, in calm weather, when the sea lay smooth and silky in the dusk, such as in "A calm evening".
After his marriage in 1860 to Mary Bollans, who kept everything away from him that might keep the artist from his painting, Moore once again performed an artistic turn. No longer painting only from the beach, he now painted ships lashed by storms, lurching like nutshells on the waves. Moore translated these feelings, coupled with his observations, into a precision that earned him great acclaim. He was considered, along with John Brett, painter and astronomer, to be the leading marine painter. Henry Moore was showered with prizes and awards. Among others, he received the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition of 1889 and, as a result, the Order of the Legion of Honor. Moore was obviously not an easy contemporary. He was considered contentious and his contacts with fellow artists were limited. It was probably for this reason that he was not offered membership of the Royal Academy until 1880. He also largely compartmentalized his private life. He spent most of his career with his wife in Sheffield Terrace, Kensington, where they raised their daughters Agnes and Florence. Agnes later followed in his footsteps and became a flower painter. In the late 1880s the family moved to the Hampstead district. Henry Moore died in 1885, and his works now hang in the Tate, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others.