Mortimer Menpes
Encyclopedia
Mortimer Luddington Menpes (22 February 1855 – 1 April 1938), was an Australian-born artist, author, printmaker and illustrator.
, South Australia
, the second son of property developer James Menpes, who with his wife, Ann, had settled in Australia in 1839.
Educated at Adelaide Educational Institution, he attended classes at the Adelaide
School of Design, but his formal art training began at the School of Art in London
in 1878, after his family had moved back to England in 1875. Edward Poynter
was a fellow student at the school. Menpes first exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1880, and, over the following 20 years, 35 of his paintings and etchings were shown at the Academy.
Menpes set off on a sketching tour of Brittany
in 1880, during which he met James McNeill Whistler
. He became Whistler's pupil, and at one stage shared a flat with him at Cheyne Walk
on the Chelsea Embankment
in London. He was taught etching by Whistler, whose influence, together with that of Japanese design, is evident in his later work. Menpes became a major figure in the etching revival
, producing more than seven hundred different etchings and drypoints
, which he usually printed himself. As early as 1880, a selection of ten of his drypoint portraits, donated to the British Museum by Charles A. Howell, brought him critical acclaim.
A visit to Japan in 1887 led to his first one-man exhibition at Dowdeswell's Gallery in London. Menpes moved into a property at 25 Cadogan Gardens, Sloane Square
, designed for him by A. H. Mackmurdo
in 1888 and decorated it in the Japanese style. Whistler and Menpes quarreled in 1888 over the interior design of the house, which Whistler felt was a brazen copying of his own ideas. The house was sold in 1900, and Menpes moved to Kent.
In 1900, after the outbreak of the Boer War
, Menpes was sent to South Africa as a war artist for the weekly illustrated magazine Black and White
. After the end of the war in 1902 he travelled widely, visiting Burma, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kashmir, Mexico, Morocco, and Spain. Many of his illustrations were published in travel books by A & C Black
. His book on the Delhi Durbar was an illustrated record of the commemoration in Delhi of the coronation of King Edward VII
.
For the last 30 years of his life, Menpes retired to Iris Court, Pangbourne
from where he managed his Purley-on-Thames
business, "Menpes Fruit Farms". He built forty large greenhouses in which to grow carnations and eight cottages to accommodate the farm workers. He died in Pangbourne in 1938.
Menpes became a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers (RE) in 1881, Royal Society of British Artists
(RBA) in 1885, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
(RI) in 1897 and Royal Institute of Oil Painters
(ROI) in 1899.
In 1875, Menpes married fellow Australian Rosa Mary Grosse (d. 23 Aug 1936) in London. They had a son, Mortimer James (b. 1879) and two daughters, Rose Maud Goodwin and Dorothy Whistler.
and watercolour. He developed a special form of colour etching, used to illustrate his books, and founded the Menpes Press of London and Watford. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Menpes travelled Europe, making copies of paintings by the old masters which he used as a basis for a series of prints published in 1905 and 1909. In 1911, Menpes donated 38 of the copies in oil to form the nucleus of a proposed Commonwealth Art Gallery of Australia. In the event, the paintings ended up in a corridor in the National Library of Australia
.
Life
Menpes was born in Port AdelaidePort Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the second son of property developer James Menpes, who with his wife, Ann, had settled in Australia in 1839.
Educated at Adelaide Educational Institution, he attended classes at the Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
School of Design, but his formal art training began at the School of Art in 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...
in 1878, after his family had moved back to England in 1875. Edward Poynter
Edward Poynter
Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman who served as President of the Royal Academy.-Life:...
was a fellow student at the school. Menpes first exhibited at 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...
in 1880, and, over the following 20 years, 35 of his paintings and etchings were shown at the Academy.
Menpes set off on a sketching tour of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
in 1880, during which he met James McNeill Whistler
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
. He became Whistler's pupil, and at one stage shared a flat with him at Cheyne Walk
Cheyne Walk
Cheyne Walk , is a historic street in Chelsea, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It takes its name from William Lord Cheyne who owned the manor of Chelsea until 1712. Most of the houses were built in the early 18th century. Before the construction in the 19th century of the busy...
on the Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the eastern end, including...
in London. He was taught etching by Whistler, whose influence, together with that of Japanese design, is evident in his later work. Menpes became a major figure in the etching revival
Etching revival
The Etching Revival is the name given by at the time, and by art historians, to the renaissance of etching as an original form of printmaking during a period of time stretching approximately from 1850 to 1930.-Historical outline:...
, producing more than seven hundred different etchings and drypoints
Drypoint
Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. Traditionally the plate was copper, but now acetate, zinc, or plexiglas are also commonly used...
, which he usually printed himself. As early as 1880, a selection of ten of his drypoint portraits, donated to the British Museum by Charles A. Howell, brought him critical acclaim.
A visit to Japan in 1887 led to his first one-man exhibition at Dowdeswell's Gallery in London. Menpes moved into a property at 25 Cadogan Gardens, Sloane Square
Sloane Square
Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the fashionable London districts of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The square is part of the Hans Town area designed in 1771 by Henry...
, designed for him by A. H. Mackmurdo
A. H. Mackmurdo
Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo was a progressive English architect and designer, who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, notably through the Century Guild of Artists, which he set up in partnership with Selwyn Image in 1882.Mackmurdo was the son of a wealthy chemical manufacturer...
in 1888 and decorated it in the Japanese style. Whistler and Menpes quarreled in 1888 over the interior design of the house, which Whistler felt was a brazen copying of his own ideas. The house was sold in 1900, and Menpes moved to Kent.
In 1900, after the outbreak of the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
, Menpes was sent to South Africa as a war artist for the weekly illustrated magazine Black and White
Black and White (magazine)
Black and White: A Weekly Illustrated Record and Review was a British illustrated weekly periodical founded in 1891 by Charles Norris Williamson. In 1912 it was incorporated with The Sphere....
. After the end of the war in 1902 he travelled widely, visiting Burma, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kashmir, Mexico, Morocco, and Spain. Many of his illustrations were published in travel books by A & C Black
A & C Black
A & C Black is a British book publishing company.The firm was founded in 1807 by Adam and Charles Black in Edinburgh, and moved to the Soho district of London in 1889. In 1851, the firm bought the copyright of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for £27,000. In 1902 it published P. G...
. His book on the Delhi Durbar was an illustrated record of the commemoration in Delhi of the coronation of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
For the last 30 years of his life, Menpes retired to Iris Court, Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
from where he managed his Purley-on-Thames
Purley-on-Thames
Purley on Thames or simply Purley, is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It forms part of the Reading urban area, but remains outside the borough, in West Berkshire. The village is situated about north-west of Reading, and east of Pangbourne...
business, "Menpes Fruit Farms". He built forty large greenhouses in which to grow carnations and eight cottages to accommodate the farm workers. He died in Pangbourne in 1938.
Menpes became a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers (RE) in 1881, Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
(RBA) in 1885, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...
(RI) in 1897 and Royal Institute of Oil Painters
Royal Institute of Oil Painters
The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists.-History:...
(ROI) in 1899.
In 1875, Menpes married fellow Australian Rosa Mary Grosse (d. 23 Aug 1936) in London. They had a son, Mortimer James (b. 1879) and two daughters, Rose Maud Goodwin and Dorothy Whistler.
Work
Menpes painted in both oilOil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
and watercolour. He developed a special form of colour etching, used to illustrate his books, and founded the Menpes Press of London and Watford. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Menpes travelled Europe, making copies of paintings by the old masters which he used as a basis for a series of prints published in 1905 and 1909. In 1911, Menpes donated 38 of the copies in oil to form the nucleus of a proposed Commonwealth Art Gallery of Australia. In the event, the paintings ended up in a corridor in the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
.
External links
- Artcyclopedia
- Menpes Donations National Library of Australia
- ‘Menpes, Mortimer Luddington (1855–1938)’, (by Michael Parkin. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 - accessed 2 Jan 2008)