Biography ofJohn
Atkinson Grimshaw
John Atkinson Grimshaw was a Leeds
painter of landscapes, town views and dockyards, especially
at sunset or by moonlight. Born the son of an ex-policeman,
Grimshaw first began painting while working as a clerk
for the Great Northern Railway. He encountered bitter
opposition from his parents, but after his marriage
in 1858 to Theodosia Hobbarde, a cousin of T.S. Cooper,
he was able to devote himself to painting.
By 1870, he was successful enough to
rent Knostrop Old Hall, a 17th century mansion near
Temple Newsam, which features in many of his pictures.
Later in the 70s, he built a house near Scarborough,
and in the 80s rented a studio in Chelsea. Grimshaw
painted mostly for private patrons, and exhibited only
5 works at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1886,
and one at the Grosvenor Gallery. The towns and docks
that he painted most frequently were Glasgow, Liverpool,
Leeds's, Scarborough, Whitby and London.
Grimshaw's style and subject matter
changed little during his career; he strove constantly
to perfect his own very individual vision. He was interested
in photography, and sometimes used a camera obscure
to project outlines on to canvas, enabling him to repeat
compositions several times. He also mixed sand and other
ingredients with his paint to get the effects he wanted.
Although he established no school, Grimshaw's pictures
were forged and imitated in his lifetime, notably by
Wilfred Jenkins and H. Meegan. Although his moonlit
town views are his most popular works, he also painted
landscapes, portraits, interiors, fairy pictures and
neo-classical subjects. During his early period he signed
"J.A. Grimshaw" but c.1867 dropped the John,
and signed himself Atkinson Grimshaw. He usually signed
his pictures on the front and the reverse, inscribed
with the title. Two of his sons, Arthur and Louis, were
also painters
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