Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are delighted to present this evocative watercolour by the artist Stuart Beck, who has signed the painting in the lower left hand corner. According to the Guildhall Art Gallery label verso, the painting is entitled 'Sea Mist Coming In'. The painting depicts a twilight view of Lymington harbour, with the lights of the buildings reflected in the calm water and the sea mmist coming in, gradually starting to obscure the lights in the distance. There is a figure on one of the yachts which has its cabin and masthead lights on.

Stuart Beck was born in 1903, the son of an artist and her husband who was in the Merchant Navy. Stuart started painting at the age of six on board a ship bound for New Zealand, captained by his father and was painting Cape Horn in oils at the age of seven. He trained at Rochester School of Art and worked as a technical book illustrator in London, while painting and exhibiting. He exhibited at the inaugural exhibition of The Royal Society of Marine Artists in 1946 and exhibited over 120 paintings with them since. He was elected of Member of the Society.

He moved to Lymington in the New Forest in 1957 while working in Bournemouth as a commercial artist and then was employed by Vickers. In 1964 he moved to Weymouth with his old company, but returned to Lymington, where he became President of Lymington Art Group and continued to paint and give tutorials. He retired in 1999 and sadly died in 2000 at the age of 97.

There are 2 of his paintings of Atlantic Weather Ships at the Met Office, 1 at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Museum in Poole and 1 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The Sultan of Oman commission a painting by him and Prince Edward also owns one, which was commissioned as a birthday gift for him.

He painted, predominantly marines in both oils and watercolours and there are auction results available for his paintings at the usual sites. We can date this watercolour to between 1980 and 1985, as this was the short period that the postcode of his address on the back was in use.

The watercolour is mounted with wash lines and is framed in a 3/4" gilt frame. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 13 1/2" x 9" - 34.25cm x 22.75cm

Frame size: 19 3/4" x 15 1/2" 50.1cm x 39.4cm

Medium: Watercolours

Condition: Very good. There is no foxing and the colours are true. The mount and frame are in very good condition consistent with age.