Royal Society of Marine Artists
The Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) is a British association of marine painters . It belongs to the Federation of British Artists (FBA) and is based in the Mall Galleries in London , where the other of the nine members of the Federation of British Artists are also housed. The Society's most prominent figures include Charles Pears , Montague Dawson , Claude Muncaster , Norman Wilkinson, and Keith Shackleton .
history
The Society was founded as the Society of Marine Artists in 1939 after the Admiral of the Fleet , William Henry Dudley Boyle, Earl of Cork and Orrery, advocated the formation of such a society and received widespread public interest through the press. The first exhibitions were so successful that the society soon became the most important point of contact for artists and lovers of marine art. The main exhibition was Sea Power , which was held under the auspices of King George VI. stood and was opened by Winston Churchill .
The Second World War noticeably restricted the activities of the society, so that no exhibitions were held during this time. The first exhibition of the post-war period took place in 1946 at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London, which was also rented for events over the next few years. In 1966, Queen Elizabeth II awarded the society the Royal Charter , so that it has since been allowed to call itself the Royal Society of Marine Artists . In 1981 the Society moved its annual exhibitions from the Guildhall to the Mall Galleries near Trafalgar Square .
Today the Society has 51 members whose common theme is the sea in all its breadth and diversity. Are represented various painting traditions as plein air painting , history painting , landscape painting , portraiture and still lifes . The range of media includes oil paint , acrylic paint , watercolor and pastel , as well as drawings and prints . The most important activity and at the same time the showcase of the society is the large annual exhibition in the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. This is open to contributions from both members and non-members. A jury awards prizes for outstanding works. The society also organizes workshops , tutorials , demonstrations and lectures .