Sir William Russell Flint | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 4 April 1880 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 30 December 1969(1969-12-30) (aged 89) London, England |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Painting, illustration |
| Children | Francis Murray Russell Flint (England, 1915-1977) |
Sir William Russell Flint (4 April 1880 – 30 December 1969) was a Scottish artist and illustrator who was known especially for his watercolours of women. He also worked inoils,tempera, andprintmaking.[1]
Flint was born inEdinburgh on 4 April 1880 and was educated atDaniel Stewart's College and thenEdinburgh Institution.[2] From 1894 to 1900 Flint was apprenticed as alithographic draughtsman while taking classes at the Royal Institute of Art, Edinburgh.[3] From 1900 to 1902 he worked as amedical illustrator in London while studying part-time at theHeatherley School of Fine Art.[4] He furthered his art education by studying independently at theBritish Museum. He was an artist forThe Illustrated London News from 1903 to 1909, and produced illustrations for editions of several books, includingH Rider Haggard'sKing Solomon's Mines (1907 edition),[5]W. S. Gilbert'sSavoy Operas (1909),[6] SirThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur (1910–1911)[7] andChaucer'sThe Canterbury Tales (1912).[3]
Flint was one of the leading illustrators selected by Percy Bradshaw for inclusion in hisThe Art of the Illustrator (1917-1918) which presented a separate portfolio for each of twenty illustrators which was accompanied by a plate showing an illustration typical of Flint's work and five other plates showing the work at five earlier stages of its production.[8] Flint's coloured illustration shows one naked and one half naked young woman picking fruit on a sea shore.[9]
Flint was elected president of Britain's Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours (now theRoyal Watercolour Society) in 1936 to 1956, and knighted in 1947.[2]
During visits to Spain, Flint was impressed by Spanish dancers, and he depicted them frequently throughout his career.[4] He enjoyed considerable commercial success but little respect from art critics, who were disturbed by a perceived crassness in his eroticized treatment of the female figure,[4] clearly borrowing inspiration from similar works byLawrence Alma-Tadema.[10]
Flint was also a published author of short stories.[citation needed] In 1965, a collection of his short stories were published as a limited edition of 500 titledShadows in Arcady; for which Flint designed the graphical layout and the illustrations.[11] Previously, Flint's story "The Angelus" had been published in The Times newspaper.[citation needed]
Flint was active as an artist and a writer until his death in London on 30 December 1969.
Savoy Operas is a collection of four opera librettos byW. S. Gilbert that had been set to music byArthur Sullivan, originally published 1909.
.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
