Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from February 3, 2019

Leonard Thorpe, Modern British Artist

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