The Summer Sea, Newquay, 19th Century By Julius Olsson (1864-1942)

The Summer Sea, Newquay, 19th century

By Julius Olsson (1864-1942) - Sale up to $40,000

Great 19th-century English Impressionist marine, "The Summer Sea, Newquay", oil on canvas by Julius Olsson. Excellent quality and condition. Large format, work by the famous marine painter, presented in its original antique frame, with champagne gold finish.

Provenance: Valentyne Dawes Gallery, Ludlow

Artist biography

Julius Olsson (1864-1942) was a self-taught marine and landscape painter, and a keen sailor. He played a vital role in the life of the St Ives artists' colony, contributing to many aspects of its creative and social life. Despite his departure for London in 1911, he remained loyal to the colony and maintained close links with it until the end of his life.

Olsson was described as "an imposing man with a big heart, who painted big pictures with big brushes in a big studio", and he contributed more than any other painter to making St Ives a British bastion of Impressionism. He ran the School of Landscape and Marine Painting from Studio 5 in Porthmeor, first with Louis Grier, then with Algernon Talmage. The school acquired a reputation that attracted students from all over the world, including Emily Carr, Mary McCrossan, Richard Hayley Lever, Borlase Smart and John Park.

He was the dominant figure in the early days of Porthmeor Studios. When the building was renovated in the 1890s, Olsson seems to have been heavily involved in the design of the studios, resulting in the huge Studio 5 for his painting school. However, a few years later, the school moved and the studio was divided into three smaller workshops.

Size: approx. 94 x 81 cm (framed)