William Palmer Robins RWS (1882-1959) - Drypoint The Local Fisherman

Description

A very fine early 20th century original drypoint, by the well listed British artist William Palmer Robins. In this detailed riverside scene, a local fisherman is pictured pulling his boat from the water by rope. A thatched barn is just visible through the woodland trees on the right hand side. The print is signed in graphite to the lower right. On paper.

Condition

The overall condition of the dry point is very good, with only a small tear to the lower left corner.

Size

13.6 x 18.8cm (5.4" x 7.4")
Sheet: 21.2 x 28.3cm (8.3" x 11.1")

Artist Biography

Landscape painter, lithographer and etcher, W. P. Robins was born in Southwark, London the son of an art teacher. He studied architecture under Banister Fletcher at King's College, London, where he won a silver medal for the history of architecture. He later attended, at various periods, St. Martin's School of Art, Royal College of Art where he studied under Sir Frank Short, and Goldsmiths' College. Later he taught at his old school, St. Martin's, and also at the Central School of Arts & Crafts, where he was the Head of Printmaking from 1921 until 1947. Many honours and awards came his way, including the National Silver Medal in 1911 and the Logan Medal for Etching at the Chicago Arts Institute in 1925. He was a prolific artist, exhibiting over a hundred works both at the RE and the Fine Art Society and fifty at the RA.

His solo shows were held in London at Colnaghi and in Edinburgh and New York, and he became well-known internationally by exhibiting at Venice, Leipzig, Florence, Paris, Zurich, Los Angeles and Australia. Robins was elected a member of the Royal watercolours Society in 1955 and served as Honorary Treasurer from 1955 until 1958 and devoted the last years of his life to the interests of this society. An exhibition of his work selected from the Print Collection of the Baillieu Library was held at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1995. During World War I he served in the Artists' Rifles with the rank of Sergeant.