Bernard Dunstan
Encyclopedia
Bernard Dunstan RA is a British artist, teacher, and author, best known for his studies of figures
in interiors and landscapes
. He is currently the longest serving Royal Academician
.
in London from 1939 to 1941. In 1947 he was elected a member of the New English Art Club
, and was president of the Royal West of England Academy
from 1979 to 1984. In 1968 he was made a full member of the Royal Academy.
Dunstan taught at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol
from 1946 to 1949, the Camberwell School of Art from 1950 to 1964, the Byam Shaw School from 1953 to 1974, the Ravensbourne Art College (now the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication
) from 1959 to 1964, and City and Guilds of London Art School
from 1964 to 1969.
Artists whose influence inform his painting include Renoir
, Bonnard
, Vuillard, Walter Sickert
, and Philip Wilson Steer
.
His works are represented in the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Collection
, Windsor, and the Museum of London
. He has written a number of books on painting, including Painting Methods of the Impressionists (1976).
Dunstan is married to fellow painter and Royal Academician Diana Armfield. He is the father of the physicist Professor David Dunstan.
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
in interiors and landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
. He is currently the longest serving Royal Academician
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
Life and work
Bernard Dunstan was born in Teddington, Middlesex, in 1920. He studied at Byam Shaw School of Art in 1939, then at the Slade School of Fine ArtSlade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
in London from 1939 to 1941. In 1947 he was elected a member of the New English Art Club
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.-History:Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886...
, and was president of the Royal West of England Academy
Royal West of England Academy
The Royal West of England Academy is an art gallery where Queens Road meets Whiteladies Road, in Bristol, England.- History :The Academy was the first art gallery in Bristol. Its foundation was financed by a bequest of £2000 in the will of Ellen Sharples in 1849, and a group of artists in...
from 1979 to 1984. In 1968 he was made a full member of the Royal Academy.
Dunstan taught at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
from 1946 to 1949, the Camberwell School of Art from 1950 to 1964, the Byam Shaw School from 1953 to 1974, the Ravensbourne Art College (now the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication
Ravensbourne is a university sector college innovating in digital media and design, with a vocationally focused portfolio of courses, spanning fashion, television and broadcasting, interactive product design, architecture and environment design, graphic design, animation, moving image, music...
) from 1959 to 1964, and City and Guilds of London Art School
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
from 1964 to 1969.
Artists whose influence inform his painting include Renoir
Renoir
-People with the surname Renoir :* Pierre-Auguste Renoir , French painter* Pierre Renoir , French actor and son of Pierre-Auguste Renoir* Jean Renoir , French film director and son of Pierre-Auguste Renoir...
, Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis.-Biography:...
, Vuillard, Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert , born in Munich, Germany, was a painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group in London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the 20th century....
, and Philip Wilson Steer
Philip Wilson Steer
Philip Wilson Steer OM was a British painter of landscape and occasional portraits and figure studies. He was a leading figure in the Impressionist movement in Britain.-Life and work:...
.
His works are represented in the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
, Windsor, and the Museum of London
Museum of London
The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
. He has written a number of books on painting, including Painting Methods of the Impressionists (1976).
Dunstan is married to fellow painter and Royal Academician Diana Armfield. He is the father of the physicist Professor David Dunstan.