George Clausen

• 

  Canadian War Museum

  LeBreton Flats, Canada

  1 works

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• What is George Clausen known for?+

  George Clausen is known for his paintings of rural workers in Essex and Hertfordshire during the 1880s. He painted with a directness borrowed from Jules Bastien-Lepage, but rooted in close personal observation.
• What is George Clausen's most famous work?+

  George Clausen, born in London in 1852, was the son of a painter of Danish extraction. He trained at the South Kensington School of Art. Early on, James McNeill Whistler influenced him; later, he shifted to an allegiance to Jules Bastien-Lepage, and, in the 1890s, to French Impressionism. In 1882, Clausen painted *Peasant Girl Carrying a Jar, Quimperle*. After meeting Bastien-Lepage, Clausen claimed that he completely altered his painting approach. He told his dealer, Tooth, that he no longer wanted to produce Dutch ‘costume’ pictures. He relocated to Hertfordshire to find genuine peasant subjects. This goal also probably inspired his journey to Brittany in 1882. Another important work is *The Stone Pickers*, dating from 1886-7. By this time, Clausen had realised his ambition to emulate Bastien-Lepage's style in England. *The Stone Pickers* has a close compositional relationship to Bastien-Lepage’s *Poor Fauvette*. The painting shares the same high horizon line, the vertical format, and the abrupt change from a detailed foreground to a more thinly painted background. Clausen's children’s nursemaid, Mary ‘Polly’ Baldwin, posed for the painting. The painting was completed in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, during the autumn and winter of 1886-7.
• What should I know about George Clausen's prints?+

  George Clausen produced prints as part of his wider artistic practice. When considering Clausen's prints, bear in mind some basic facts about printmaking. Printmakers often limit the size of an edition; this is the artist's choice, not a technical requirement. The printmaker indicates the edition size, title, and signature in pencil on the print's bottom margin. These details usually appear as a fraction (the print number over the edition number), the title in the centre, and the signature on the right. These conventions are widely respected in printmaking. Claims about the edition size and description must be truthful, particularly for commercial sales, as governed by the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, Section 2. The value of a print is related to the artist's reputation, the image's popularity, and the materials' quality. Limited editions usually command higher prices than posters because original prints are numbered. The number of prints in an edition is restricted due to the wear of the hand-made plates. Some publishers limit impressions to increase a print’s value; limits may range from 250 to 1,000 impressions.
• What style or movement did George Clausen belong to?+

  George Clausen (born in London, 1852; died 1944) moved through several styles during his career. In the late 1870s, James McNeill Whistler was a dominant influence. Around 1880, Clausen shifted to an allegiance with Jules Bastien-Lepage. Later, in the 1890s, French Impressionism took over. After seeing Bastien-Lepage’s work and meeting him in London, Clausen recalled that he completely changed his approach to painting. He informed his dealer, Tooth, that he no longer wished to do Dutch ‘costume’ pictures. He moved to Hertfordshire to search for real peasant subjects. This also prompted his trip to Brittany in 1882. By 1892, critical attacks against Clausen for borrowing from Bastien-Lepage reached large proportions. With a change of focus, Clausen started to borrow from Edgar Degas and Claude Monet. Since 1888, he had owned a fan painted by Degas; as with most of Degas’ admirers, it was his sharply cut-off figures and unusual viewpoints which were of most value to Clausen when creating new figure compositions. Clausen’s study of Monet brought about a reaction against the cool palette of the 1880s; his colour became purer and brighter, and he started experimenting with broken colour techniques.
• What techniques or materials did George Clausen use?+

  George Clausen's techniques involved a careful consideration of materials and methods. Like many artists, he understood that technique extends beyond mere execution. It encompasses the organisation and shaping of raw materials to fulfil specific artistic intentions. Some artists, such as Renoir, began as craftsmen before exploring ideas and feelings in their art; Renoir painted figures on porcelain. Other artists start with ideas and feelings, then address the practicalities of craft to express them. The choice of materials is also important. Artists' quality paints are preferred over lesser quality ones because they provide satisfying colour saturation, permanence, and stability. Brushes also play a role; hog hair brushes offer a broader use of oil paint. Grounds, such as gessoed MDF, primed canvas stuck to MDF, and primed canvas, all contribute to the final result. Some artists prime and stretch their own canvases to guarantee quality and prepare for painting.
• What was George Clausen known for?+

  George Clausen (born in London in 1852; died 1944) was the son of a painter of Danish extraction. He attended South Kensington School of Art. Clausen debuted at the Royal Academy in 1876 with a painting of a Dutch subject, after visiting Belgium and Holland in 1875-6. Whistler was a dominant influence in the late 1870s. However, in 1880 Clausen shifted to Bastien-Lepage, and later, in the 1890s, French Impressionism took over. Clausen moved to Hertfordshire in 1881, then to Berkshire. In 1883, he studied in Paris under Bouguereau at the Academie Julian. He became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1895, and a Royal Academician in 1908. After seeing Bastien-Lepage’s work and meeting him in London, Clausen recalled that he completely changed his approach. He told his dealer, Tooth, that he no longer wished to do Dutch ‘costume’ pictures. He went to live in Hertfordshire to search for real peasant subjects. This also prompted his trip to Brittany in 1882. By 1892, criticism of Clausen for borrowing from Bastien-Lepage reached large proportions. With a change of focus, Clausen started to borrow from Degas and Monet. He owned a fan painted by Degas from 1888. Clausen's study of Monet brought about a reaction against the cool palette of the 1880s; his colour became purer and brighter and he started experimenting with broken colour techniques.
• When did George Clausen live and work?+

  George Clausen was active as an artist from the 1880s to the 1920s. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, the New Gallery, and the Grosvenor Gallery. Clausen also showed work with the New English Art Club (NEAC). His exhibition record includes the Hanover Gallery, which featured his work alongside artists such as Cazin, Courbet, and Raffaelli. Clausen contributed chapters to C. A. Theuriet's book, *Jules Bastien-Lepage and His Art*, published in 1892, alongside Walter Sickert. He was part of the Summer Society of British Artists and exhibited at venues like the Salon Parisien. Clausen's involvement with various art societies and galleries places his working life between the mid-1880s and the early 1920s.
• Where can I see George Clausen's work?+

  To view paintings by George Clausen, consider visiting galleries and museums in the United Kingdom and abroad. Within the UK, collections can be found at the Manchester Art Gallery (Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL), and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton BN1 1EE). Also consider the National Museums of Scotland, Royal Museum (Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL). Other UK galleries that hold his work include Leeds City Art Gallery (The Headrow, Leeds LS1 3AA), Towneley Hall Art Gallery in Burnley, and the National Museum of Wales (Cathays Park, Cardiff CR1 3NP). Outside the UK, several museums have collections that may include Clausen, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA), and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN).
• Where was George Clausen from?+

  George Clausen was born in London, on 18 April 1852. His father was a decorative painter of Danish extraction. Clausen studied at the South Kensington Schools between 1873 and 1875. He then worked for a firm of lithographers. Clausen was greatly influenced by the French realist painter, Jules Bastien-Lepage; this is clear in his rural subjects and treatment of light. He became one of the most important British impressionist artists, and was a founding member of the New English Art Club in 1886. Clausen taught at the Royal College of Art from 1904 to 1906, and was later appointed Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy. He was knighted in 1927, and died on 13 November 1944.
• Who did George Clausen influence?+

  George Clausen's early work showed the influence of James McNeill Whistler, but around 1880 he shifted his focus to the style of Jules Bastien-Lepage. Clausen himself stated that seeing Bastien-Lepage's paintings caused a complete change to his painting approach. Critics in 1892 attacked Clausen for borrowing too heavily from Bastien-Lepage. One critic writing in *The Speaker* hoped Clausen would reject Bastien-Lepage's "evil ways". D. S. MacColl noted that Clausen responded to this criticism by moving his peasant subjects further away, softening the lines of their clothing, and finding his own interest in natural beauty. After this shift, Clausen began to borrow from Edgar Degas and Claude Monet. He owned a fan painted by Degas from 1888. Like many admirers of Degas, Clausen found value in his sharply cut-off figures and unusual viewpoints. Studying Monet led Clausen to react against the cooler palette of the 1880s. His colours became purer and brighter, and he began experimenting with broken colour techniques. His knowledge of Monet's techniques was thorough; he made these lessons available in his lectures at the Royal Academy Schools, first published in 1904.
• Who influenced George Clausen?+

  George Clausen was influenced by several artists and movements. As a young artist, he was drawn to the work of French Realist painter Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848-1884). Bastien-Lepage's focus on rural subjects and naturalistic style had a considerable impact on Clausen's early work. Later in his career, Clausen's art showed an awareness of Impressionism. Although he did not fully adopt the Impressionist style, he experimented with its techniques, such as broken colour and effects of light. Some scholars have noted the influence of Impressionist painters like Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) on Clausen's handling of light and atmosphere. Clausen also looked to older masters for inspiration. He admired the work of painters such as Rembrandt (1606-1669) and Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), whose depictions of peasant life resonated with his own interest in rural themes.
• Who was George Clausen?+

  George Clausen (1852-1944) was a London-born painter of Danish descent. He trained at the South Kensington School of Art. Early in his career, he visited Belgium and Holland (1875-6) and debuted at the Royal Academy in 1876 with a Dutch-themed painting. Clausen's artistic style evolved through several phases. In the late 1870s, Whistler influenced him. By 1880, he shifted his focus to Bastien-Lepage, and later, in the 1890s, he embraced French Impressionism. He briefly studied in Paris at the Académie Julian in 1883. Clausen sought to depict rural subjects. After encountering Bastien-Lepage's work, he moved to Hertfordshire in 1881 to find peasant subjects, and travelled to Brittany in 1882. His 1886-7 painting *The Stone Pickers* aimed to emulate Bastien-Lepage's style, with a detailed foreground and a thinly painted background. The model for *The Stone Pickers* was his children’s nursemaid, Mary ‘Polly’ Baldwin. Clausen was a founder member of the New English Art Club (NEAC). He became an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1895 and a Royal Academician (RA) in 1908.