Harold Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
Harold Hitchcock was an English visionary landscape artist.
, London into a family of artists (descended from the animal artist George Stubbs
on his mother’s side}, Harold was inspired to paint as a result of an ecstatic experience he had as a young boy whilst living with his grandparents in the Essex village of Thundersley
. At the age of 16 he was hailed in the press as a child prodigy as a result of the enthusiasm of Dame Laura Knight for his work. He went into commercial art.
In the Second World War, as a conscientious objector
in the Non-Combatant Corps, he volunteered for bomb disposal work.
He continued to paint and in 1945 was given an exhibition of his work by Margaret Torrie, who was very influential on the London art scene at that time running the International Arts Centre in West London. Margaret and her husband Alfred, both Quakers, later introduced Harold to the spiritual movement Subud
, which had a profound effect on his life and work.
After the war and now married, Harold enjoyed much success selling his work at the Hampstead
open-air exhibition and in 1964 he gave up the commercial work to concentrate on his own painting full-time. He came to the attention of the Duke of Bedford
who became something of a patron giving Harold an exhibition at his palatial home at Woburn Abbey
. Major London exhibitions followed as did a widening market for his work in the USA. His work was admired by art establishment figures of the time including Kenneth Clark
and Sir Roy Strong (who was then the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
). In 1984 Hitchcock was given the rare honour of a retrospective exhibition at the RSA gallery in London.
(in his adoption of a personal mythology) and particularly Samuel Palmer
in his depiction of a pastoral idyll. His use of light also recalls the paintings of J.M.W. Turner. Remarkably unaffected by modern trends in art he follows his own unique inner vision working in a spontaneous way with great technical skill.
Later works have additionally included a more figurative and semi-abstract style but without sacrificing the prismatic jewel-like quality of light and colour seen in the landscapes.
Biography
Born in Camden TownCamden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, London into a family of artists (descended from the animal artist George Stubbs
George Stubbs
George Stubbs was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses.-Biography:Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a currier and leather merchant. Information on his life up to age thirty-five is sparse, relying almost entirely on notes made by fellow artist Ozias Humphry towards the...
on his mother’s side}, Harold was inspired to paint as a result of an ecstatic experience he had as a young boy whilst living with his grandparents in the Essex village of Thundersley
Thundersley
Thundersley is a district in the north west of the Castle Point Borough, in south east Essex, England, about 35 miles east of London.-Toponymy:...
. At the age of 16 he was hailed in the press as a child prodigy as a result of the enthusiasm of Dame Laura Knight for his work. He went into commercial art.
In the Second World War, as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
in the Non-Combatant Corps, he volunteered for bomb disposal work.
He continued to paint and in 1945 was given an exhibition of his work by Margaret Torrie, who was very influential on the London art scene at that time running the International Arts Centre in West London. Margaret and her husband Alfred, both Quakers, later introduced Harold to the spiritual movement Subud
Subud
Subud is an international spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s as a movement founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo. The basis of Subud is a spiritual exercise commonly referred to as the latihan kejiwaan, which was said by Muhammad Subuh to represent guidance from...
, which had a profound effect on his life and work.
After the war and now married, Harold enjoyed much success selling his work at the Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
open-air exhibition and in 1964 he gave up the commercial work to concentrate on his own painting full-time. He came to the attention of the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
who became something of a patron giving Harold an exhibition at his palatial home at Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
. Major London exhibitions followed as did a widening market for his work in the USA. His work was admired by art establishment figures of the time including Kenneth Clark
Kenneth Clark
Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
and Sir Roy Strong (who was then the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
). In 1984 Hitchcock was given the rare honour of a retrospective exhibition at the RSA gallery in London.
Art
His work is purely imaginative - often depicting, in fine detail, a romantic mythological world of idealised beauty, suffused in light, and reminiscent of the 17th.C painter Claude Lorraine. However his art often has a peculiarly English quality following in the tradition of artists such as William BlakeWilliam Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
(in his adoption of a personal mythology) and particularly Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and produced visionary pastoral paintings.-Early life:...
in his depiction of a pastoral idyll. His use of light also recalls the paintings of J.M.W. Turner. Remarkably unaffected by modern trends in art he follows his own unique inner vision working in a spontaneous way with great technical skill.
Later works have additionally included a more figurative and semi-abstract style but without sacrificing the prismatic jewel-like quality of light and colour seen in the landscapes.
Exhibitions
- Walker Gallery, London 1956
- Mercury Gallery London
- Ewan Phillips London
- Austin Hayes London
- Rimmell Gallery London
- DaVinci Gallery London
- Leicester Gallery Leicester Sq. London
- Reid Gallery Bond St. London 1967
- Woburn Abbey Sponsored by the Duke of Bedford 1967
- Royal Institute Gallery London Retrospective 1967
- Upper Grosvenor Gallery London 1969
- Kurt Schon Gallery New Orleans USA 1971
- Touring Exhibition USA during 1972 [including exhibitions at Atlanta City, Huntsville, Winston Salem, Daytona Beach, New Orleans]
- Pilkington Glass Museum, UK 1973
- Campbell and Franks Gallery, Harley St. London 1975
- Christopher Wood Gallery London 1983
- Royal Society of Arts Picadilly, London 1984
- Christopher Wood Gallery London 1986
- New Orleans Museum of Art 1988
- Hanson Gallery New Orleans 1989
- Marikay Vance Gallery Chicago 1992
- Agora Gallery New York 1999
- Phillip Gallery California 1999
- Phillips Gallery San Jose 2003
- Phillips Gallery Carmel 2004
Permanent collections
- Rowntree Memorial Trust UK
- Lidice Memorial Museum Czechoslovakia
- Museum of Fine Art N.Carolina USA
- University of Louisiana USA
- Victoria and Albert Museum London
- Hunterian Museum Glasgow Scotland
- University Library of Winston Salem USA
- Hannem and Stoers Museum [Reichs Museum] Holland