Vernon Wethered (1865–1952)
This picture comes from a large folio of work by the artist Vernon Wethered (1865–1952). The son of a Bristol colliery owner, Wethered studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, and exhibited widely before being elected to the New English Art Club (NEAC) in 1932.
The NEAC is a group of professional artists whose work is based mainly on the direct observation of nature. The Club was founded in the late nineteenth century by a number of painters who were frustrated by the conservatism of the Royal Academy, and who were more in tune with artistic developments on the Continent. The NEAC’s debut exhibition in 1886 including paintings by George Clausen, Walter Sickert and Stanhope Forbes. The club was particularly successful in attracting younger artists, whose work showed the influence of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
During his lifetime, Wethered was renowned for his particularly acute observation of natural scenes. As a young painter he had visited the studio of the distinguished painter G.F. Watts R.A., who advised him ‘do everything from knowledge—you will be able to do much more than you think you can do.’
An article in The Artist magazine from 1948 described Wethered’s studio as being ‘filled with pictures in oil and watercolour, along with sketches and studies in various media. He has set himself to get to know what he paints, and that knowledge has been acquired by direct observation of nature, as well as by studying the old masters.’
For The Artist, Wethered’s works ‘belong to the school of English Impressionism. He combines an intimate knowledge of the elements in nature which he has used, with a regard for the effect of light on such aspects of landscape as he has chosen to depict.’ He managed to be both part of the great tradition of English landscape painting and a member of the avant garde—‘he is the doyen of a group of experimenters who were the moderns of their time.’ The article concludes that Wethered’s paintings would continue to be appreciated in future years: ‘if in their day they had the power to move us deeply, then in days to come they are likely to stir others.’
