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The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of watercolour. Its members, or associates, use the postnominal initials RWS. They are elected by the membership, with typically half a dozen new associates joining the Society each year.


History

The society was founded as the ''Society of Painters in Water Colours'' in 1804 by William Frederick Wells. Its original membership was William Sawrey Gilpin, Robert Hills, John Claude Nattes,
John Varley John Varley may refer to: * John Varley (canal engineer) (1740–1809), English canal engineer * John Varley (painter) (1778–1842), English painter and astrologer * John Varley (author) (born 1947), American science fiction author * John Silvest ...
, Cornelius Varley, Francis Nicholson, Samuel Shelley,
William Henry Pyne William Henry Pyne (1769 in London – 29 May 1843 in London) was an English writer, illustrator and painter, who also wrote under the name of Ephraim Hardcastle. He trained at the drawing academy of Henry Pars in London. He first exhibited ...
and
Nicholas Pocock Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March 1821) was an English artist known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail. Birth and early career at sea Pocock was born in Bristol in 1740, the son of a seaman.Chatte ...
. The members seceded from the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
where they felt that their work commanded insufficient respect and attention. In 1812, the Society reformed as the ''Society of Painters in Oil and Watercolours'', reverting to its original name in 1820. In 1831 a schism created another group, the New Society for Painters in Water Colours, and so the 1804 group became known as the ''Old Water Colour Society'', and just the ''Old Society''. The New Society subsequently became the
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London. History In 1831 the s ...
, which still exists today. The Old Society obtained its
Royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...
1881 under the presidency of Sir John Gilbert as the ''Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours''. In 1988, it changed its name again to the ''Royal Watercolour Society'', by which it had always previously been generally known.


Current

The Royal Watercolour Society was founded to promote watercolour as a medium in all its applications. The Society defines a 'watercolour' as a work made in any water-based paint on paper. The RWS holds regular exhibitions presenting the finest in British contemporary works on paper. Exhibitions are held at
Bankside Gallery Bankside Gallery is a public art gallery in Bankside, London, England. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980, Bankside is an educational charity, situated on the Thames Path just along from Tate Modern. The gallery is home to the Royal Watercolo ...
and also tour outside London. The 75 Members choose new Associates each year in a rigorous election procedure. Full membership is granted following a show of hands at an AGM. The Society's education programme includes practical courses tutored by members and drop-in family event days as well as talks and discussions. The archive and diploma collection is available for research. Current members include
Sonia Lawson Sonia Lawson (2 June 1934 – 15 May 2023) was an English contemporary artist born in North Yorkshire. Biography Sonia Lawson was born into a family of artists on 2 June 1934. Her father Fred Lawson and her mother Muriel Metcalfe, who was ...
,
Elizabeth Blackadder Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder, Mrs Houston, (24 September 1931 – 23 August 2021) was a Scottish painter and printmaker. She was the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy. In 1962 she began tea ...
,
Richard Bawden Richard Bawden (born 1936) is an English painter, printmaker and designer with a graphic, linear quality. His work includes book illustration, murals, etched glass church windows and doors, posters, mosaic and furniture. His work is in the collec ...
and
David Remfry David Remfry (born 1942 in Worthing, England) is a British painter and curator. He was the Eranda Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy Schools from 2016 - 2018 and a Judge for the Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award 2021. In ...
. The current president Jill Leman was elected in 2017.


Presidents

* William Sawrey Gilpin (1804–1806) * William Frederick Wells (1806–1807) * John Glover (1808) *
Ramsay Richard Reinagle Ramsay Richard Reinagle (19 March 1775 – 17 November 1862) was an English portrait, landscape, and animal painter, and son of Philip Reinagle. Biography Ramsay Richard Reinagle was a pupil of his father Philip Reinagle, whose style he foll ...
(1808–1812) * Francis Nicholson (1812–1813) *
John Warwick Smith John "Warwick" Smith (26 July 1749 – 22 March 1831) was a British watercolour landscape painter and illustrator. Life and work Smith was born at Irthington, near Carlisle, Cumberland, the son of a gardener to the Gilpin family, and ...
(1814) * John Glover (1815) *
Joshua Cristall Joshua Cristall (1767–1847) was an English painter. For a time he was president of the Society of Painters in Water-Colours, a medium in which he showed a pleasing freedom and simplicity of style. Life Cristall was born at Camborne in Cornwa ...
(1816) *
John Warwick Smith John "Warwick" Smith (26 July 1749 – 22 March 1831) was a British watercolour landscape painter and illustrator. Life and work Smith was born at Irthington, near Carlisle, Cumberland, the son of a gardener to the Gilpin family, and ...
(1817–1818) *
Joshua Cristall Joshua Cristall (1767–1847) was an English painter. For a time he was president of the Society of Painters in Water-Colours, a medium in which he showed a pleasing freedom and simplicity of style. Life Cristall was born at Camborne in Cornwa ...
(1819) *
George Fennell Robson George Fennell Robson (1788–1833) was an English watercolour painter. Life One of 23 children of John Robson (1739–1824) by his second wife, Charlotte, eldest daughter of George Fennell, R.N., he was born at Durham in 1788; his father, a wine ...
(1820) *
Joshua Cristall Joshua Cristall (1767–1847) was an English painter. For a time he was president of the Society of Painters in Water-Colours, a medium in which he showed a pleasing freedom and simplicity of style. Life Cristall was born at Camborne in Cornwa ...
(1821–1831) *
Anthony Van Dyke Copley Fielding Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding (22 November 1787 – 3 March 1855), commonly called Copley Fielding, was an English painter born in Sowerby, near Halifax, and famous for his watercolour landscapes. At an early age Fielding became a pup ...
(1831–1855) *
John Frederick Lewis John Frederick Lewis (1804–1876) was an English Orientalist painter. He specialized in Oriental and Mediterranean scenes in detailed watercolour or oils, very often repeating the same composition in a version in each medium. He lived for s ...
(1856–1858) *
John Frederick Tayler (John) Frederick Tayler (30 April 1802England Births and Christenings, ...
(1858–1870) * Sir John Gilbert (1871–1897) *
Sir Ernest Waterlow Sir Ernest Albert Waterlow, (24 May 185025 October 1919) was a British painter. Biography Waterlow was born in London, and received the main part of his art education in the Royal Academy schools, where, in 1873, he gained the Turner medal ...
(1897–1913) * Alfred Parsons (1913–1920) * Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton (1920–1936) *
Sir William Russell Flint Sir William Russell Flint (4 April 1880 – 30 December 1969) was a Scottish artist and illustrator who was known especially for his watercolours of women. He also worked in oils, tempera, and printmaking. Biography Flint was born in ...
(1936–1956) * Robert Austin (1957–1973) *
Andrew Freeth Hubert Andrew Freeth (29 December 1912 – 26 March 1986) was a British portrait painter and etcher. Biography Freeth was born in Birmingham and attended the Birmingham College of Art and, between 1936 and 1939, studied at the British School in ...
(1974–1976) * Ernest Greenwood (1976–1984) * Maurice Sheppard (1984–1987) * Charles Bartlett (1987–1992) * Leslie Worth (1992–1995) *
Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-se ...
(1995–1996) *John Doyle (1996–2000) * Francis Bowyer (2000–2003) * Trevor Frankland (2003–2006) * Richard Sorrell (2006–2009) *David Paskett (2009–2012) *Thomas Plunkett (2012–2017) *Jill Leman (2017–present)


Bibliography

* *


References


External links

* {{Authority control British artist groups and collectives 19th-century art groups 1804 establishments in the United Kingdom British contemporary art Watercolor societies
Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...