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Wallis, Alfred
Wallis, Alfred (1855–1942). British naive painter of sailing ships and landscapes, born in Devonport. He went to sea as a cabin boy and cook at the age of 9, and from 1880 worked as a fisherman in Cornwall. In 1890 he opened a rag-and-bone store in St Ives, and after retiring from this did a few odd jobs, including selling ice-cream. He began to paint in 1925 to ease the loneliness he felt at his wife's death and was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in 1928, the unselfconscious vigour of his work making a powerful impression on them. They introduced his work to friends, including H. S. Ede (whose collection of Wallis's paintings can be seen at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge) and Herbert Read. Wallis painted from memory and imagination, usually working with ship's paint on odd scraps of cardboard or wood. Although he rapidly became the best known of British naive artists, he died in a workhouse. His admirers in the art world arranged for the great potter Bernard Leach to design his gravestone in Barnoon Cemetery, St Ives. The inscription on it reads: ‘Alfred Wallis, Artist and Mariner'.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O5-WallisAlfred.html IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O5-WallisAlfred.html |
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Wallis, Alfred
Wallis, Alfred (b Devonport, 8 Aug. 1855; d Madron, nr. Penzance, Cornwall, 29 Aug. 1942). British naive painter of sailing ships and landscapes. He went to sea as a cabin boy and cook at the age of 9, and from about 1880 worked as a fisherman in Cornwall. In 1890 he opened a rag and bone store in St Ives and after retiring from this did odd jobs, including selling ice cream. He began to paint in 1925 to ease the loneliness he felt after his wife's death and was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in 1928; the unselfconscious vigour of his paintings made a powerful impression on them and they introduced his work to friends in the art world. Wallis painted from memory and imagination, usually working with ship's paint on scraps of cardboard or wood. Although he rapidly became the best known of British naive artists, he died in a workhouse.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-WallisAlfred.html IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-WallisAlfred.html |
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Wallis, Alfred
Wallis, Alfred (1855–1942). British Naive painter of sailing ships and landscapes. He went to sea as a cabin boy and cook at the age of 9, and from about 1880 worked as a fisherman in Cornwall. In 1890 he opened a rag-and-bone store in St Ives and after retiring from this did odd jobs, including selling ice cream. He began to paint in 1925 to ease the loneliness he felt after his wife's death and was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in 1928, the unselfconscious vigour of his work making a powerful impression on them. Wallis painted from memory and imagination, usually working with ship's paint on scraps of cardboard or wood. Although he rapidly became the best known of British naive artists, he died in a workhouse.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-WallisAlfred.html IAN CHILVERS. "Wallis, Alfred." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-WallisAlfred.html |
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