Mark Fiennes
Encyclopedia
Mark Fiennes was an English photographer and illustrator
.
Mark Wykeham-Fiennes was born at Dalton, Northumberland, the eldest of five children of industrialist Maurice Fiennes
, who was later knighted by Prime Minister Harold Wilson
for his services to the export of British heavy engineering products, and of his wife Sylvia Joan (née Finlay). Mark Fiennes' cousin is Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes
.
He was educated at Eton College
for several years before he fell ill with glomerulonephritis
. In hope of improving his health his parents sent him to Australia, New Zealand and the United States where Fiennes studied agriculture. With his health restored, he returned to England and became a farming tenant on the estate of the Earl of Stradbroke
near Blythburgh
, Suffolk, where he met and married novelist Jennifer Lash
in 1962 at Lothingland
. Her passion for art served as an impetus for Fiennes, who took up photography at the age of 40.
Fiennes' work featured some of the world's most renowned museums as well as Britain's most celebrated estates. In 1985 he received a commission from the National Gallery of Art
in Washington D.C. to produce images for their exhibit Treasure Houses of Britain. After this, his photography recorded the restoration of Windsor Castle
for the Royal Collections.
He was commissioned to illustrate books for a number of British and American publishers, including HarperCollins
, Random House
, Thames & Hudson
and Yale University Press
. Between 1983 and 1995, he regularly contributed to Country Life
magazine.
(1938-1993) were the parents of actors Ralph Fiennes
and Joseph Fiennes
, film-makers Martha Fiennes
and Sophie Fiennes
, composer Magnus Fiennes
and Jacob ("Jake") Fiennes, a conservationist. They also had a foster son, Michael Emery, an archaeologist. Jini Fiennes died from breast cancer
in 1993, aged 55.
, until his death in 2004, aged 71, from undisclosed causes.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
Mark Wykeham-Fiennes was born at Dalton, Northumberland, the eldest of five children of industrialist Maurice Fiennes
Maurice Fiennes
Sir Maurice Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was an English industrialist. He was educated at the independent Repton School in the village of Repton in Derbyshire and at Armstrong College in Newcastle-upon-Tyne....
, who was later knighted by Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
for his services to the export of British heavy engineering products, and of his wife Sylvia Joan (née Finlay). Mark Fiennes' cousin is Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes
Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE , better known as Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer. Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while...
.
He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
for several years before he fell ill with glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis, also known as glomerular nephritis, abbreviated GN, is a renal disease characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, or small blood vessels in the kidneys...
. In hope of improving his health his parents sent him to Australia, New Zealand and the United States where Fiennes studied agriculture. With his health restored, he returned to England and became a farming tenant on the estate of the Earl of Stradbroke
Earl of Stradbroke
Earl of Stradbroke, in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for John Rous, 1st Baron Rous, who had earlier represented Suffolk in the House of Commons...
near Blythburgh
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a small English village in an area known as the Sandlings, part of the Suffolk heritage coast. Located close to an area of flooded marshland and mud-flats, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 300. Blythburgh is best known for its church, Holy Trinity, internationally known as...
, Suffolk, where he met and married novelist Jennifer Lash
Jennifer Lash
Jennifer Anne Mary Alleyne Lash was an English novelist and painter....
in 1962 at Lothingland
Lothingland
Lothingland is an area in East Anglia, situated on the North Sea coast. It is bound by Breydon Water to the north, the River Waveney to the west and Oulton Broad to the south, and includes Lowestoft....
. Her passion for art served as an impetus for Fiennes, who took up photography at the age of 40.
Fiennes' work featured some of the world's most renowned museums as well as Britain's most celebrated estates. In 1985 he received a commission from the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington D.C. to produce images for their exhibit Treasure Houses of Britain. After this, his photography recorded the restoration of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
for the Royal Collections.
He was commissioned to illustrate books for a number of British and American publishers, including HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
and Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
. Between 1983 and 1995, he regularly contributed to Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine.
Family
Mark and Jennifer "Jini" FiennesJennifer Lash
Jennifer Anne Mary Alleyne Lash was an English novelist and painter....
(1938-1993) were the parents of actors Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
and Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...
, film-makers Martha Fiennes
Martha Fiennes
Martha Fiennes is a British film director, writer and producer. An award-winning director, Fiennes is best-known for her films Onegin and Chromophobia .-Career:...
and Sophie Fiennes
Sophie Fiennes
Sophia Victoria Twisleton Wykeham-Fiennes , known as Sophie Fiennes, is an English film director and producer.-Career:Following a foundation course in painting at Chelsea School of Art, Fiennes worked with director Peter Greenaway from 1987–1992. She managed the UK based dance company, The Michael...
, composer Magnus Fiennes
Magnus Fiennes
Magnus Fiennes is an English cross-genre composer, record producer and songwriter. He has worked with artists such as Shakira, Pulp, Tom Jones and Morcheeba...
and Jacob ("Jake") Fiennes, a conservationist. They also had a foster son, Michael Emery, an archaeologist. Jini Fiennes died from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 1993, aged 55.
Last years/death
In 1996 Fiennes married Caroline Evans and lived with her in Clare, SuffolkClare, Suffolk
Clare is a small town on the north bank of the River Stour in Suffolk, England.Clare is from Bury St Edmunds and from Sudbury. It lies in the 'South and Heart of Suffolk' . As a cloth town, it is one of Suffolk's 'threads'. Clare is the current holder of Village of the Year and has won the...
, until his death in 2004, aged 71, from undisclosed causes.
External links
- Mark Fiennes Official Site
- Obituary for Mark Fiennes, The Independent, 4 January 2005