Michael Rothenstein
Encyclopedia
William Michael Rothenstein RA (19 March 1908 – 6 July 1993) was an English printmaker, painter and art teacher.
, London
, on 19 March 1908, he was the youngest of four children born to the celebrated artist, Sir William Rothenstein and his wife, Alice Knewstub.
During the late 1930s the artist's output was mainly Neo-Romantic landscapes and in 1940 he was commissioned to paint topographical watercolours of endangered sites in Sussex
for the Recording Britain project organised by the Pilgrim Trust
. In the early 1940s he moved to Ethel House, in the north Essex
village of Great Bardfield
. The artist held his first (of many) one-man shows at the famous Redfern Gallery, London in 1942. During this time he became increasingly fascinated by printmaking.
At Great Bardfield there was a small resident art community that included John Aldridge
, Edward Bawden
and Kenneth Rowntree
. In the early 1950s several more artists (including George Chapman
, Stanley Clifford-Smith
, Audrey Cruddas
and Marianne Straub
) moved to the village making it one of the most artistically creative spots in Britain. Rothenstein took an important role in organising the Great Bardfield Artists
exhibitions during the 1950s. Thanks to his contacts in the art world (his older brother, Sir John Rothenstein
, was the current head of the Tate Gallery
) these exhibitions became nationally known and attracted thousands of visitors.
From the mid 1950s Rothenstein almost abandoned painting in preference to printmaking which included linocut
as well as etchings. Like his fellow Bardfield artists his work was figurative but became near abstract in the 1960s.
Although little known as a painter, Rothenstein became one of the most experimental printmakers in Britain during the 1950s and '60s. He authored several books on art subjects including Looking at Painting (1947) and Frontiers of Printmaking (1966). He taught art for many years at Camberwell School of Art and Stoke on Trent College of Art
, he also lectured extensively in the USA. He illustrated several books including the first UK edition of John Steinbeck
's Of Mice and Men
(1937) and Acquainted with the Night: A Book of Dreams (1949) by Nancy Price
.
Rothenstein was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy
(ARA) in 1977 and a Royal Academician (RA) in 1984. Near the end of his life there was a retrospective of his work at the Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery (1989) and important shows followed at the Fry Art Gallery
, Essex (1991 & 1993).
(London), Victoria and Albert Museum
(London), and the Fry Art Gallery (Saffron Walden
).
, and the couple had two children. In 1956 he divorced Duffy and in 1958 married Diana Arnold-Forster. Not long after the 1958 Great Bardfield summer exhibition the couple moved to the nearby village of Stisted, Essex.
Early life
Born in HampsteadHampstead
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...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 19 March 1908, he was the youngest of four children born to the celebrated artist, Sir William Rothenstein and his wife, Alice Knewstub.
Art
He was home schooled and studied art at Chelsea Polytechnic and later at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Affected by lingering depression, Rothenstein did little art making during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Despite this, he had his first one man show at the Warren Gallery, London in 1931.During the late 1930s the artist's output was mainly Neo-Romantic landscapes and in 1940 he was commissioned to paint topographical watercolours of endangered sites in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
for the Recording Britain project organised by the Pilgrim Trust
Pilgrim Trust
The Pilgrim Trust is a London-based charitable trust. It was founded in 1930 by a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. The trust's first secretary was former civil servant, Thomas Jones....
. In the early 1940s he moved to Ethel House, in the north Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
village of Great Bardfield
Great Bardfield
Great Bardfield is a large village in Essex, England.The Great Lodge at Bardfield is a Grade II listed building, which built in the 16th century and was given to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII as one of several properties as part of a generous settlement for an amicable divorce. The grounds include...
. The artist held his first (of many) one-man shows at the famous Redfern Gallery, London in 1942. During this time he became increasingly fascinated by printmaking.
At Great Bardfield there was a small resident art community that included John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
, Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden, CBE, RA was a British painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He was also famous for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture...
and Kenneth Rowntree
Kenneth Rowntree
Kenneth Rowntree was a British artist.A Quaker, he was a conscientious objector during the Second World War. He worked for the War Artists' Advisory Committee.He one of the Great Bardfield Artists.Reference:...
. In the early 1950s several more artists (including George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, Stanley Clifford-Smith
Stanley Clifford-Smith
Stanley Clifford-Smith was an English Expressionist painter and textile designer who was active as an artist in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.-Early life:...
, Audrey Cruddas
Audrey Cruddas
Audrey Cruddas was an English costume and scene designer, painter and potter. Born in Johannesburg she moved to England with her parents when she was an infant. After leaving school she studied art at St. John's Wood School of Art, Royal Academy Schools and Bram Shaw School of Drawing and...
and Marianne Straub
Marianne Straub
Marianne Straub was one of the leading designers of textiles in Britain during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.She was born in the village of Amriswil, Switzerland on 23 September 1909. Her father was a textile merchant so it was no surprise that she was soon attracted to a career in textiles. She studied...
) moved to the village making it one of the most artistically creative spots in Britain. Rothenstein took an important role in organising the Great Bardfield Artists
Great Bardfield Artists
The Great Bardfield Artists were a community of artists who lived in Great Bardfield, a village in north west Essex, England, during the middle years of the 20th century....
exhibitions during the 1950s. Thanks to his contacts in the art world (his older brother, Sir John Rothenstein
John Rothenstein
Sir John Knewstub Maurice Rothenstein CBE was an English art historian. He grew up in London the son of Sir William Rothenstein. The family was loosely connected to the Bloomsbury Set. John Rothenstein studied at Oxford University and became friends with T. E. Lawrence...
, was the current head of the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
) these exhibitions became nationally known and attracted thousands of visitors.
From the mid 1950s Rothenstein almost abandoned painting in preference to printmaking which included linocut
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed...
as well as etchings. Like his fellow Bardfield artists his work was figurative but became near abstract in the 1960s.
Although little known as a painter, Rothenstein became one of the most experimental printmakers in Britain during the 1950s and '60s. He authored several books on art subjects including Looking at Painting (1947) and Frontiers of Printmaking (1966). He taught art for many years at Camberwell School of Art and Stoke on Trent College of Art
Stoke-on-Trent College of Art
The Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art was one of three colleges that were merged in 1971 to form North Staffordshire Polytechnic...
, he also lectured extensively in the USA. He illustrated several books including the first UK edition of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
(1937) and Acquainted with the Night: A Book of Dreams (1949) by Nancy Price
Nancy Price
Nancy Price, CBE , was an English actress on stage and screen, authoress and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, silent films, talkies and finally television. In addition to appearing on stage she became involved in...
.
Rothenstein was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy
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...
(ARA) in 1977 and a Royal Academician (RA) in 1984. Near the end of his life there was a retrospective of his work at the Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery (1989) and important shows followed at the Fry Art Gallery
Fry Art Gallery
The Fry Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Saffron Walden, Essex, England. In its present form the gallery was established in 1985 and it is managed by the Fry Art Gallery Society...
, Essex (1991 & 1993).
Legacy
His work is included in several public collections including the Tate GalleryTate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
(London), 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...
(London), and the Fry Art Gallery (Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
).
Personal life
In 1936 he married his first wife, the artist, Betty Fitzgerald, who was later known as Duffy AyersDuffy Ayers
Duffy Ayers is an English portrait painter.She was one of a pair of identical twin girls born to her American mother and Irish father, and has been known for most of her life by the nickname "Duffy"....
, and the couple had two children. In 1956 he divorced Duffy and in 1958 married Diana Arnold-Forster. Not long after the 1958 Great Bardfield summer exhibition the couple moved to the nearby village of Stisted, Essex.