DOI Heft:
No. 237 (December 1912)
DOI Artikel:Garstin, Norman: The art of Harold and Laura Knight
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21158#0214
Harold and Laura Knight
like a mirror or the ideal photograph, and would
leave as little impression or memory of itself behind.
This, then, would be one extreme over which the
commonplace reigns. The other extreme is the
fantastic distortion of nature pushed to a point
where only abnormality and insanity can abide.
In considering the work of Harold and Laura
Knight one cannot help feeling that whatever else
may be said about it, it avoids all suspicion of
abnormality. Sanity of outlook and lucidity of
statement are the dominating factors of their work.
Their collaboration has been singularly close,
and began unusually soon, dating from their early
days in the Nottingham Art School, where they
studied under Wilson Foster, himself a student in
Antwerp and Paris, and from him they learnt the
foundation of an art education—the capacity to imi-
tate nature faithfully. Later Harold Knight went
to Paris and studied under Jean
Paul Laurens and Benjamin
Constant. Here we see the
international influences of
modern art training.
As their schooldays drew
to a close, they both gradu-
ally began to feel that the
close imitation of nature was
not the end; and the per-
plexity that comes on all artist
natures fell on them. But
Fate had an eye on them and
led them to Staithes, where a
group of very admirable artists
were working at this time.
Fred Jackson, H. S. Hopwood,
James Charles, H. Mackie and
Fred Mayor represented a
band that would be calculated
to rouse enthusiasm. Anyone
familiar with the work of these
artists would feel what a
wonderfully stimulating atmo-
sphere these young people came
to breathe by the windy, sea-
lashed, wholesome east coast
with its fisherfolk and its eternal
story of the elemental strife
they wage.
Times were hard, though
this was only a disguise
worn by Fortune resulting in
good; for amongst other ex-
pedients of economy they were
constrained to do without
I92
regular models, training their memory systemati-
cally to hold the necessary data, a discipline so
valuable in enabling them to give a sense of move-
ment and vitality to figures. Under these in-
fluences they painted pictures having the story of
the sea and the primitive life of its toilers and their
families as their motive. One painted by Mrs.
Knight in 1903, their wedding year, was her first
Academy picture. It was called Mother and Child
and was bought by Edward Stott, A.R.A. It is
hardly possible to fancy anything more calculated to
encourage and stimulate a young painter than the
purchase by an artist so delicate and fastidious in
taste and feeling. It was two years before they
had another slice of good luck, when Frank
Dicksee bought A Cut> of Tea by Harold Knight
for Brisbane.
Their next move was to Holland, which was
“THE GREEN FEATHER” FROM THE PAINTING BY LAURA KNIGHT
(Canadian National Art Gallery, Ottawa)
like a mirror or the ideal photograph, and would
leave as little impression or memory of itself behind.
This, then, would be one extreme over which the
commonplace reigns. The other extreme is the
fantastic distortion of nature pushed to a point
where only abnormality and insanity can abide.
In considering the work of Harold and Laura
Knight one cannot help feeling that whatever else
may be said about it, it avoids all suspicion of
abnormality. Sanity of outlook and lucidity of
statement are the dominating factors of their work.
Their collaboration has been singularly close,
and began unusually soon, dating from their early
days in the Nottingham Art School, where they
studied under Wilson Foster, himself a student in
Antwerp and Paris, and from him they learnt the
foundation of an art education—the capacity to imi-
tate nature faithfully. Later Harold Knight went
to Paris and studied under Jean
Paul Laurens and Benjamin
Constant. Here we see the
international influences of
modern art training.
As their schooldays drew
to a close, they both gradu-
ally began to feel that the
close imitation of nature was
not the end; and the per-
plexity that comes on all artist
natures fell on them. But
Fate had an eye on them and
led them to Staithes, where a
group of very admirable artists
were working at this time.
Fred Jackson, H. S. Hopwood,
James Charles, H. Mackie and
Fred Mayor represented a
band that would be calculated
to rouse enthusiasm. Anyone
familiar with the work of these
artists would feel what a
wonderfully stimulating atmo-
sphere these young people came
to breathe by the windy, sea-
lashed, wholesome east coast
with its fisherfolk and its eternal
story of the elemental strife
they wage.
Times were hard, though
this was only a disguise
worn by Fortune resulting in
good; for amongst other ex-
pedients of economy they were
constrained to do without
I92
regular models, training their memory systemati-
cally to hold the necessary data, a discipline so
valuable in enabling them to give a sense of move-
ment and vitality to figures. Under these in-
fluences they painted pictures having the story of
the sea and the primitive life of its toilers and their
families as their motive. One painted by Mrs.
Knight in 1903, their wedding year, was her first
Academy picture. It was called Mother and Child
and was bought by Edward Stott, A.R.A. It is
hardly possible to fancy anything more calculated to
encourage and stimulate a young painter than the
purchase by an artist so delicate and fastidious in
taste and feeling. It was two years before they
had another slice of good luck, when Frank
Dicksee bought A Cut> of Tea by Harold Knight
for Brisbane.
Their next move was to Holland, which was
“THE GREEN FEATHER” FROM THE PAINTING BY LAURA KNIGHT
(Canadian National Art Gallery, Ottawa)