Sir Frank Brangwyn

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Brangwyn, Sir Frank (b Bruges, 12 May 1867; d Ditchling, Sussex, 11 June 1956). British painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and designer, the son of a Welsh architect who specialized in church furnishings and who was working in Belgium at the time of the boy's birth. In 1882–4 Brangwyn served an apprenticeship with William Morris, and like his master he was active in a variety of fields. He was an Official War Artist in the First World War, for example, he was one of the finest draughtsmen of the day and a skilful etcher and lithographer, and he made designs for a great range of objects (furniture, textiles, ceramics, glassware, jewellery, and so on); however, he became best known for his murals. His most famous undertaking in this field was a series of eighteen panels on the theme of the British Empire, commissioned by the House of Lords. They were begun in 1926 and rejected—amid great controversy—in 1930, being considered too flamboyant for their setting. Offers for the panels came from all over the world, and in 1934 they were installed in the Guildhall in Swansea. Brangwyn's work at its most characteristic was floridly coloured, crowded with detail and incident, and rather Rubensian, although it became somewhat flatter, lighter, and more stylized later in his career. During his lifetime he was one of the most famous of British artists (probably the most famous worldwide); there is a museum devoted to him in Bruges and another almost entirely given over to his work in Orange. His reputation crumbled after his death, his work tending to be dismissed as facile and sentimental, but there has recently been a modest revival of interest in him.

Brangwyn, Sir Frank (1867–1956). British painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and designer, born at Bruges of Welsh parentage. In 1882–4 Brangwyn served an apprenticeship with William Morris, and like his master he was active in a variety of fields. He was an Official War Artist in the First World War, for example, he was one of the finest draughtsmen of the day and a skilful etcher and lithographer, and he made designs for a great range of objects (furniture, textiles, ceramics, glassware, jewellery, and so on); however, he became best known for his murals. His most famous undertaking in this field was a series of eighteen panels on the theme of the British empire, commissioned by the House of Lords. They were begun in 1926 and rejected—amid great controversy—in 1930, being considered too flamboyant for their setting. Offers for the panels came from all over the world, and in 1934 they were installed in the Guildhall in Swansea. Brangwyn's work at its most characteristic was floridly coloured, crowded with detail and incident, and rather Rubensian, although it became somewhat flatter, lighter, and more stylized later in his career. During his lifetime he was one of the most famous of British artists (probably the most famous worldwide); there is a museum devoted to him in Bruges and another almost entirely given over to his work in Orange. His reputation crumbled after his death, his work tending to be dismissed as facile and sentimental, but there has recently been a modest revival of interest in him.