Philip Connard
Encyclopedia
Philip Connard, CVO
, RA
, (born Southport, 24 March 1875, died Twickenham 8 December 1958) rose from humble origins to become an eminent artist in oils and watercolours whose commissions brought him royal recognition.
Connard left school with the minimum state education and went into the building trade as a house painter. He attended evening classes in art and won a scholarship in textile design to the Royal College of Art
in London. There he won a prize of £100 which enabled him to go to Paris to study, although he did not stay there as long as he had hoped his money would allow him to. He returned to London where he worked as an illustrator before obtaining a position at the Lambeth School of Art
where he taught artists such as Edmund Blampied
. While teaching at Lambeth he submitted pictures to the New English Art Club
and became known as a painter in oils of romantic decorative landscapes with figures such as pierettes or birds. His compositions were said to be ‘graceful, airy and highly individual in conception’.
Although he was nearly 40 years old when the First World War broke out, Connard volunteered as a private, learned to ride, and fought in France as a member of a gun team in the Royal Field Artillery
. He reached the rank of Captain before being invalided out because of severe shell shock
. He was later appointed an official war artist to the Royal Navy
and painted the surrender of the German ship SMS Goeben
and the Zeebrugge raid
. This work for the Navy is in the Imperial War Museum
in London.
Connard was given a number of important decorative commissions: murals at Windsor Castle
; two panels for a ballroom in New Delhi; and a large panel on the subject of England for the Cunard
liner, RMS Queen Mary
. His work can be found in the Tate Gallery
, London; the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the National Gallery of Australia
, the Royal Academy
, London, the Ashmolean Museum
, Oxford; and the National Museum of Wales.
Connard was elected an associate of the Royal Academy
in 1918 and became a full Academician in 1925. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy school, the principal tutor, from 1945 to 1949. He was also a full member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours
. In 1950 he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Connard, meanwhile, did not forget his home town: he was the founding President of The Southport Palette Club, established in 1921 to hold annual exhibitions of the work of local artists, and he retained this position until his death in 1958.
Connard married twice: his first wife, Mary Collyer, with whom he had two daughters, died in 1927; in 1933 he married Georgina Yorke, whom he depicted in many of his later paintings of interiors.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, RA
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...
, (born Southport, 24 March 1875, died Twickenham 8 December 1958) rose from humble origins to become an eminent artist in oils and watercolours whose commissions brought him royal recognition.
Connard left school with the minimum state education and went into the building trade as a house painter. He attended evening classes in art and won a scholarship in textile design to the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in London. There he won a prize of £100 which enabled him to go to Paris to study, although he did not stay there as long as he had hoped his money would allow him to. He returned to London where he worked as an illustrator before obtaining a position at the Lambeth School of Art
Lambeth School of Art
Lambeth School of Art was founded in 1854 by William Gregory as a night school associated with the St. Mary the Less Church in London.-History:...
where he taught artists such as Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied was one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, yet he received no formal training in art until he was 16 years old...
. While teaching at Lambeth he submitted pictures to 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 became known as a painter in oils of romantic decorative landscapes with figures such as pierettes or birds. His compositions were said to be ‘graceful, airy and highly individual in conception’.
Although he was nearly 40 years old when the First World War broke out, Connard volunteered as a private, learned to ride, and fought in France as a member of a gun team in the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
. He reached the rank of Captain before being invalided out because of severe shell shock
Shell Shock
Shell Shock, also known as 82nd Marines Attack was a 1964 film by B-movie director John Hayes. The film takes place in Italy during World War II, and tells the story of a sergeant with his group of soldiers....
. He was later appointed an official war artist to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and painted the surrender of the German ship SMS Goeben
SMS Goeben
SMS Goeben was the second of two Moltke-class battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1911 and named after the German Franco-Prussian War veteran General August Karl von Goeben...
and the Zeebrugge raid
Zeebrugge Raid
The Zeebrugge Raid, which took place on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the British Royal Navy to neutralize the key Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge...
. This work for the Navy is in the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
in London.
Connard was given a number of important decorative commissions: murals at 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...
; two panels for a ballroom in New Delhi; and a large panel on the subject of England for the Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
liner, RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
. His work can be found in 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...
, London; the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
, 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...
, London, the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
, Oxford; and the National Museum of Wales.
Connard 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...
in 1918 and became a full Academician in 1925. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy school, the principal tutor, from 1945 to 1949. He was also a full member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours
Royal Watercolour Society
The Royal Watercolour Society is an English institution of painters working in watercolours...
. In 1950 he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Connard, meanwhile, did not forget his home town: he was the founding President of The Southport Palette Club, established in 1921 to hold annual exhibitions of the work of local artists, and he retained this position until his death in 1958.
Connard married twice: his first wife, Mary Collyer, with whom he had two daughters, died in 1927; in 1933 he married Georgina Yorke, whom he depicted in many of his later paintings of interiors.