Thorpe, a totally modern artist, used London and the bucolic country side as his muse. Clearly the London cityscape was his inspiration. He painted all the city sights: St. Paul's Cathedral, the Parliament, the Palace of Westminster, the Beefeaters at the Palace, the Victorian Memorial, Big Ben, the Monument and of course Trafalgar Square. These London landmarks are painted with affirming gestures in moody blues and graphic grays. His palette knife application technique, along with his brush work was applied in a quick layer over the oil underpainting. There is an appearance of buildup-so caked on, that the results look molten. This methodology created textured impressions right on the canvas. He combined architectural details with spontaneous happenings.
His color palette frequently includes red double-decker buses, Beefeater guards or flags that add balance to his moody paintings. In "St. Paul's Cathedral" below, Thorpe presents a rainy evening with reflections in the puddles as commuters rush to the bus stop. The shops along Ludgate Hill provide a glow that lights the street and the blue Jaguar joins the buses as they exit the underpass. The painting shows off Christopher Wren's Baroque Cathedral with its vaulted dome and carved pediment that is supported by Corinthian columns. He creates drama with areas of light and dark, and emphasizes the triumphant verticality of the cathedral with the dome and clock tower. In the shadow there is the Monument that remembers the great fire of 1666.
Beyond his moody cityscapes, he painted countryside, vine-covered cottages with thrashed roofs and bedded flowers. These countryside paintings take on architectural rendering precision as if they are house portrait paintings commissioned by the occupants. He almost always wrote the location in pencil on the back of canvases. These works demonstrate his successful commercial arts background; he studied at the Manchester School of Art. He decided to become a full-time painter in 1968 and he used the following business card, demonstrating that he lived in the London suburb of Perivale. He used "L. Thorpe" as his signature, and the first painting that could be identified by Thorpe was accomplished in 1944.
Mr. Thorpe was born Atherton. Checking the baptism records of Atherton, it is estimated that he was born sometime in 1910 or 1915. Sometimes, Mr. Thorpe's paintings get confused with Ms. Lesbia Thorpe's prints. Ms. Thorpe was a famous modernist printmaker from Australia and did study and spent time in England, however, their work is not similar. The only similarity is their same last names, and they should not be confused. Leonard Thorp's auction records in the US and Canada have lagged in the marketplace, whereas his moody landmarks are doing better in the United Kingdom. His work possesses artistic skill and a sense of place, and as more and more writers and art historians are discussing and identifying his work, we believe that stronger values will be eminent. Additionally, we are hopeful that this new information will eliminate future misattributions of Mr. Thorpe's work.
Other examples include the following: Lot 1059, Andrew Smith &Son, from the Studio Collection of Stanley Newbold, Estate of a Hampshire Picture Dealer, which was correctly attributed and is a painting of "St. Paul's Cathedral from the River Thames".
And this painting of "The Palace of Westminster", sold at Ewbanks in 2017.
Below is a signature example: L. Thorpe
Personal Note:
This painting was purchased in London in 1971, and was brought back to the Chicago area where it was framed by Heritage Gallery Ltd., a top Chicago framer still in operation today. It recently joined our collection. We purchased it as a remembrance of our vacation to England in the early 1990s. We were touring St. Paul's Cathedral when it became time for Evensong (an early evening church service). They were removing all the tourist, but we stayed, for an almost private service. A large all male choir appeared and a vicar gave a homily. The sound of the trained choir in the nearly vacant Cathedral was moving and exciting. Therefore, the fond memories and the great painting.
References:
Jaice Singer DuMars, The Art of Art Confusion: Lesbia Thorpe and Leonard Thorpe, Medium/Art, December 28, 2018. She prepares a comparison analysis of the two artists.
Auction Houses: Ewbanks and Andrew Smith & Sons (Photograph Attributions)
His color palette frequently includes red double-decker buses, Beefeater guards or flags that add balance to his moody paintings. In "St. Paul's Cathedral" below, Thorpe presents a rainy evening with reflections in the puddles as commuters rush to the bus stop. The shops along Ludgate Hill provide a glow that lights the street and the blue Jaguar joins the buses as they exit the underpass. The painting shows off Christopher Wren's Baroque Cathedral with its vaulted dome and carved pediment that is supported by Corinthian columns. He creates drama with areas of light and dark, and emphasizes the triumphant verticality of the cathedral with the dome and clock tower. In the shadow there is the Monument that remembers the great fire of 1666.
St. Paul's Cathedral - 1971
Oil on Canvas - 20" X 24"
Signed Lower Left Corner: L. Thorpe
Beyond his moody cityscapes, he painted countryside, vine-covered cottages with thrashed roofs and bedded flowers. These countryside paintings take on architectural rendering precision as if they are house portrait paintings commissioned by the occupants. He almost always wrote the location in pencil on the back of canvases. These works demonstrate his successful commercial arts background; he studied at the Manchester School of Art. He decided to become a full-time painter in 1968 and he used the following business card, demonstrating that he lived in the London suburb of Perivale. He used "L. Thorpe" as his signature, and the first painting that could be identified by Thorpe was accomplished in 1944.
Other examples include the following: Lot 1059, Andrew Smith &Son, from the Studio Collection of Stanley Newbold, Estate of a Hampshire Picture Dealer, which was correctly attributed and is a painting of "St. Paul's Cathedral from the River Thames".
Below is a signature example: L. Thorpe
 |
| Signed: L. Thorpe |
This painting was purchased in London in 1971, and was brought back to the Chicago area where it was framed by Heritage Gallery Ltd., a top Chicago framer still in operation today. It recently joined our collection. We purchased it as a remembrance of our vacation to England in the early 1990s. We were touring St. Paul's Cathedral when it became time for Evensong (an early evening church service). They were removing all the tourist, but we stayed, for an almost private service. A large all male choir appeared and a vicar gave a homily. The sound of the trained choir in the nearly vacant Cathedral was moving and exciting. Therefore, the fond memories and the great painting.
References:
Jaice Singer DuMars, The Art of Art Confusion: Lesbia Thorpe and Leonard Thorpe, Medium/Art, December 28, 2018. She prepares a comparison analysis of the two artists.
Auction Houses: Ewbanks and Andrew Smith & Sons (Photograph Attributions)
Comments
Post a Comment