William Nicholson (painter)
Sir William Newzam Prior Nicholson (born February 5, 1872 in Newark-on-Trent , † May 16, 1949 in Blewbury ) was a British painter , graphic artist and illustrator and author of children's books .
life and work
He was the son of William Newzam Nicholson, an industrialist and Conservative Party member in Newark, and Annie Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Prior and Elizabeth of Woodstock .
Nicholson studied at Hubert von Herkomer's Art School in Bushey . His partnership with his brother-in-law James Pryde was characterized by excellent graphic work and woodcuts ; they were known as the "Beggarstaff Brothers" ("Bettelstab Brothers"), whose studio community existed from 1894 to 1898. Her designs were trend-setting for modern poster design . With their new style - simplified lines, flatness and reduced coloring - they revolutionized the poster in England in the 19th century. Nicholson and Pryde were the first graphic artists to reduce the amount of text on the poster to a minimum and to emphasize the visual representation. The German “Sachplakat”, a type of poster introduced around 1905 that was more oriented towards the economic goals of industry, was largely inspired by their style.
In 1893 Nicholson married the artist Mabel Pryde (1871-1918). Their children were the painters Ben Nicholson and Nancy Nicholson and the architect Christopher 'Kit' Nicholson.
After 1900, he mainly occupied himself with painting on the advice of Whistler . Nicholson illustrated early books by Robert Graves with Nancy, Graves' first wife. He wrote and illustrated children's books such as The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) by Margery Williams and his own books Clever Bill (1926) and The Pirate Twins (1929) for the publishing house Faber & Faber . He also created stained glass windows, for example for St Andrew's Church in Mells . At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam he won a gold medal in the graphic arts field.
Nicholson was knighted in 1936 . From 1935 Nicholson lived unmarried with the writer Marguerite Steen , first in London, after the bombing of the Second World War in Blewbury in Berkshire .
literature
- Colin Campbell: The Art of William Nicholson . Royal Academy Books, London 2005, ISBN 978-1-9039-7344-8
Web links
- Literature by and about William Nicholson in the catalog of the German National Library
- German Historical Museum about Nicholson
- Artcyclopedia via Nicholson
Individual evidence
- ↑ See the historical museum link
- ^ Olympic Games (art). sport-komplett.de, accessed on October 23, 2009 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nicholson, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nicholson, Sir William Newzam Prior |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British painter, illustrator and author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 5, 1872 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newark-on-Trent |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 16, 1949 |
| Place of death | Blewbury |