Frank Bramley | |
|---|---|
 Self portrait (1897) | |
| Born | (1857-05-06)6 May 1857 Sibsey,Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 9 August 1915(1915-08-09) (aged 58) Chalford Hill,Gloucestershire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Lincoln School of Art,Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) |
| Known for | Painter |
| Movement | Newlyn School,Post-Impressionism |
| Spouse | Katherine Graham Bramley |
Frank BramleyRA (6 May 1857 – 9 August 1915)[nb 1] was an Englishpost-impressionistgenre painter of theNewlyn School.
Bramley was born inSibsey, near Boston, inLincolnshire to Charles Bramley from Fiskerton also in Lincolnshire.[1]
From 1873 to 1878 Bramley studied at theLincoln School of Art. He then studied from 1879 to 1882 at theRoyal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, whereCharles Verlat was his instructor. He lived inVenice from 1882 to 1884 and then moved toNewlyn,Cornwall.[2][3]
Bramley married fellow artist Katherine Graham, daughter of John Graham from Huntingstile, Grasmere, Westmoreland, in 1891.[1][nb 2] The couple lived at Orchard Cottage, which at the time was called Belle Vue Cottage, from 1893 to 1897.[5] In 1895 they moved toDroitwich in the West Midlands.[6] They lived at Bellue Vue House in 1889[5] and by 1900 had settled atGrasmere in theLake District.[2][6]
Bramley died inChalford Hill,Gloucestershire in August 1915.[3]
Having returned to England from Venice in or after 1884, Bramley established himself in theNewlyn School artist colony on Rue des Beaux Arts in Newlyn.[2][5] Along withWalter Langley andStanhope Forbes, he was considered to be one of the "leading figures" of the Newlyn School.[5]
In contrast to other members of the Newlyn school, Bramley specialised in interiors[2] and worked on combining natural and artificial light in his paintings, such asA Hopeless Dawn.[7][8]
During his time in Newlyn, Bramley was a particular exponent of the ‘square brush technique’, using the flat of a square brush to lay the paint on the canvas in a jigsaw pattern of brush strokes, giving a particular vibrancy to the paint surface. In the early 1890s, his palette became brighter and his handling of the paint looser and more impastoed, while his subject matter narrowed to portraits and rural genre paintings.[2]
An example of Bramley's use of the square brush technique is his paintingDomino![5]
HisA Hopeless Dawn (1888) is held by theTate Gallery, London after having been purchased for the nation by theChantrey Bequest and is one of Bramley's most favored works. Praised by theRoyal Academy, Penlee House also appreciate this Bramley work: "The painting’s strong emotional and narrative content, together with its aesthetic appeal and tonal harmony, make this one of the most admired Newlyn School works to this day." The young grieving woman in the painting, artist model Effy Reynolds James. The painting was referenced in an April 2010General Conference address by President ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Thomas S. Monson.
Bramley was one of the founders of theNew English Art Club, but left the organization after having received condemning comments fromWalter Sickert.[5]
In 1894 Bramley became anAssociate of the Royal Academy (ARA) and in 1911 he became aRoyal Academician (RA). He was also a gold medal winner at theParis Salon.[2][3]
Selected paintings include:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Bramley, Frank".Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
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