John Simmons (1823–1876) was a British miniature painter and illustrator, known primarily for his watercolours of ethereal fairyland scenes, often illustrating Shakespearian or other literary works (such as his illustrations for '' A Midsummer Night's Dream''). He was one of several popular Victorian artists who together created "a genre of forest idyll" in their fairy paintings. They are often grouped with the Pre-Raphaelites. Simmons lived in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, and also painted portraits.Wood, p. 124. He was elected to membership of the Bristol Academy of the Fine Arts in 1849. He died in November 1876 and is buried at

Arnos Vale Cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadi ...

Fairy painting

The typical

fairy painting Fairy painting is a genre of painting and illustration featuring fairies and fairy tale settings, often with extreme attention to detail. The genre is most closely associated with Victorian painting in the United Kingdom, but has experienced a c ...

is strongly rooted in the literary influences of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, as well as in the Victorian cultural period. Among the most significant of these influences were the themes of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and '' The Tempest''. Other literary works, such as Edmund Spenser's ''

The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

'' and

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

's '' The Rape of the Lock'' have been cited as contributing influences as well. Simmons is best known as a specialist in painting female fairies, frequently nude.

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

auctioneers described his 1873 depiction of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' as "one of the finest and most ambitious examples." Interest in the fairy painting genre saw a revival in the 19th-century allowing observers of the imaginary world shown in the paintings a respite from the austerity of the Victorian way of life. The majority of Simmons' paintings are simple and generally portray one or two main figures set within a framework of foliage; Titania was frequently a subject of his artwork, shown delicately draped in a variety of poses. According to Bonhams he portrays "the fairy queen as a paradigm of Victorian female beauty" adding "Using the winding flowers and

convolvulus ''Convolvulus'' is a genus of about 200 to 250''Convolvulus''.
Flora of China.

as a decorative motif, Simmons romantically frames the central figures, creating a stage in which their narrative can play out. Blurring the boundaries between reality and dreams, he creates a poetical vision of Shakespeare's play". Some of Simmons' images of Titania illustrate the increasing sexualisation of fairy queens. According to Christopher Wood, an expert in Victorian art, Simmons' technique demonstrated influence from

Joseph Noel Paton Sir Joseph Noel Paton (13 December 1821 – 26 December 1901) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a poet and had an interest in, and knowledge of, Scottish folklore and Celtic legends. Early life He was born in Woo ...

, who utilised a very detailed style. Wood also suggested further influence for Simmons' style came from William Edward Frost and

William Etty William Etty (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude (art), nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, h ...

. Simmons' paintings of fairies are given a surreal effect by his skilful use of light and the realistic detail he adopts for portraying the animals and plants. Wood described Simmons' ''A Fairy among Convolvulus'' as "a typical Simmons pin-up" and hypothesises the paintings were "distinctly titillating". Other pieces of artwork by Simmons with a fairy theme include: ''Hermia and the Fairies'', which was also based on Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and completed in 1861; ''The Honey Bee Steals from the Bumble Bees''; and ''The Evening Star''.Wood, p.129.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, John 19th-century English painters English male painters English watercolourists English illustrators Artists from Bristol 1823 births 1876 deaths 19th-century English male artists