William Took, pair of watercolours, Pre-Raphaelite figures in British countryside, signed & dated 1885
$1,250.00 AUD
William Took (1857-92)
pair of watercolours, ‘Hedgerow flower picking’ and “Resting on a walk” , each with a young lady and a small child,
superbly detailed using a stippled technique, giving a Pre-Raphaelite feel to the works.
Each signed & dated 1885
10cm x 15cm
Excellent condition, in period frames.
William Took (1857-92) is a minor ‘un-noticed’ artist with great skill. His works are very scarce suggesting he was not a professional artist but a part-time artist who had a natural talent. These two small works are similar to a handful of other small landscapes, using the incredibly fine and complex stipple technique. Other examples of his – a landscape with Windsor Castle, and Lakes District views, are large-scale oils, and have a very different appearance to these small-scale stippled works. He also did traditional watercolours in a more painterly ‘wet’ style, giving a very similar impression to these small works, but lacking the detail when examined up-close .
It’s the textures and details of these two works that make them so impressive: the effect is similar to the ‘Baxter’ printing process, invented in the mid-19th century and easily accessible as an inspiration for artists; the Baxter process broke the colours down into a limited number, and achieved a high level of detail with fine stipple engraving. Contrasting colours are placed next to each other in small fine strokes, giving the image a sharp definition and impression of great detail. This technique is directly related to the stipple technique used by miniature portrait painters, and William Took must have had lessons in that technique at some time.
William Took was a painter of landscapes, still life, and portraits. He lived in London and Ramsgate, Kent.
He exhibited at The Royal Academy, The British Institution, and The Royal British Academy.
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