Julian Trevelyan RA, Caius College II, Cambridge Suite– 1959–62 lithograph print
Julian Trevelyan RA, Caius College II, Cambridge Suite– 1959–62 lithograph print
Julian Trevelyan RA, Caius College II, Cambridge Suite– 1959–62 lithograph print

Julian Trevelyan RA Caius College II, Cambridge Suite

£625.00
£625.00
Épuisé

An original 1959–62 lithograph print – Julian Trevelyan RA, Caius College II, Cambridge Suite.

This fantastic original print is by renowned artist and printmaker Julian Trevelyan RA (1910–1988). A founding member of the British Surrealist Group, Trevelyan worked alongside Alberto Giacometti, André Masson, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró in Paris in the 1930s. He later became a leader of the etching revolution that began in the 1960s, and was an influential teacher, with students including David Hockney, Ron Kitaj and Norman Ackroyd.

This colour lithograph depicting Caius College is part of Trevelyan’s Cambridge Suite, which comprised ten prints of Cambridge Colleges (Caius College, Caius College II, Christ’s College, Corpus Christi College, Downing College, Emmanuel College, Jesus College, Peterhouse, St Catharine’s College and Sidney Sussex College).

Trevelyan himself studied at Cambridge, going up to read English at Trinity College in 1928. But he left prematurely, in 1931, before completing his tripos, heading to Paris to pursue his true calling as an artist. He joined Atelier 17, the legendary experimental printmaking studio of the painter and engraver William Stanley Hayter, and under Hayter's guidance, etching became the principal medium for Trevelyan’s exploration of the subconscious mind. Two of Trevelyan's works from this period were shown in the International Surrealist Exhibition in 1936. Despite, however, his immersion in Surrealism in Paris, Trevelyan continued to paint in a conventional style when travelling. He labelled these parallel modes of expression his 'Jekylls and Hydes'.

Trevelyan's Cambridge Suite dates from the period in the late 1950s / early 1960s when the artist was appointed as Tutor of Engraving at the Royal College of Art (eventually becoming Head of the Etching Department) where he influenced a new generation of printmakers including the young David Hockney.

This lithograph is an Artist's Proof print aside from the edition of 70.

Signed and inscribed in pencil. Lithograph printed in colour on cream wove paper embossed with the letters 'ea' towards the lower left corner.

Sheet size: 56.2 x 70.2cm.

37.5 x 51.5cm.

Please note that this print will be shipped rolled in a tube.

+ Read the Artist Research

Julian Trevelyan RA (1910–1988)

Julian Trevelyan RA (1910–1988) was the grandson of the liberal politician Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet. He was educated at Bedales School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read English Literature.

Trevelyan had no formal art training but joined Atelier Dix-Sept, Stanley William Hayter's engraving school, in Paris in 1931 where he worked alongside artists such as Max Ernst, Oskar Kokoschka, André Masson, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. Under this influence he became a founding member of the British Surrealist Group. A selection of his paintings and etchings featured in the ground-breaking 'International Surrealist Exhibition' at the New Burlington Galleries, London in 1936.

In 1937, he became involved in Tom Harrisson's Mass Observation social anthropology surveys, recording in detail the daily lives of ordinary people. This experience had a profound effect on his work. Along with other artists such as Roland Penrose, during the Second World War, Trevelyan served as a Camouflage Officer. He was a member of the Royal Engineers from 1940 to 1943, serving in North Africa and Palestine.

From 1950 to 1955, Trevelyan taught history of art and etching at the Chelsea School of Art. Then from 1955 to 1963, he worked at the Royal College of Art and became Head of the Etching Department. Because of his enthusiasm in his work and the desire to share it with others, Trevelyan became a highly influential teacher, with students including David Hockney, Ron Kitaj and Norman Ackroyd. He was an important leader of modern print techniques and today is regarded as a silent driving force behind the etching revolution of the 1960s.

In 1935, Trevelyan had bought Durham Wharf, beside the river Thames in Hammersmith. This became his home and studio for the rest of his life, where he worked with his wife, the artist Mary Fedden.

Trevelyan's first solo exhibition was at the Lefevre Gallery in 1937. In 1998 a major Retrospective was held at the Royal College of Art. In 2010 Pallant House Gallery in Chichester held an exhibition of his prints to celebrate the centenary of his birth, and in 2013 Bohun Gallery held a major retrospective of Trevelyan's work.

Trevelyan's work can be found in numerous public collections, including the Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Government Art Collection, National Museum Wales, the Royal West of England Academy and Manchester Art Gallery.

COA
+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 45cm (17.72") Width: 60cm (23.62")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Lithograph

Age: Mid-20th-century

Signed: Pencil signed lower right.

Inscribed: Pencil inscribed lower left: 'Artist Proof'.

Dated: --

Condition: Some age toning as shown. Some slight wrinkling to the margins. Creasing across the far upper right corner of the sheet, and some very short creases to the far upper edge. These minor issues to the margins would not be apparent if mounted. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KC-550