Herbert Thomas Dicksee (14 June 1862 – 20 February 1942)Art Magick biography
was an English painter who specialised in

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

s of dogs, particularly the deerhound. Prints and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

s of his best-known paintings were widely distributed by publishers such as Klackner of London, and his work is popular among collectors and dog enthusiasts today. Dicksee belonged to an illustrious artistic family. His father was the artist John Dicksee (1817–1905). John's brother Thomas (1819–1895), also a painter, was the father of Sir Frank Dicksee (1853–1928), president of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

from 1924 until his death. (Herbert, meanwhile, had one sister, whose name was Amy.) Dicksee studied art at the

Slade School The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

, London, on a scholarship. His first painting was exhibited in 1881. Dicksee specialised in sympathetic paintings of hounds, such as "After

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...

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and "Silent Sympathy", but he also painted big cats at

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

, of which he was a fellow. His paintings were usually done from life; he kept numerous dogs as pets. Those pets featured in his etchings included a

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...

, a

French bulldog The French Bulldog () is a French breed of companion dog or toy dog. It appeared in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, apparently the result of cross-breeding of Toy Bulldogs imported from England and local Parisian ratters.pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

s and bull terriers. Many of Dicksee's works, especially those painted during the war, depict the dogs accompanying melancholy young ladies. His most frequent model was the actress

Gladys Cooper Dame Gladys Constance Cooper (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an English actress, theatrical manager and producer, whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television. Beginning as a teenager in Edwardian musica ...

. The artist married Ella Crump in 1896, and they had two children, Maurice (who was killed in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

) and Dorothy (who also studied art). Herbert Dicksee died in 1942 in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

. His daughter Dorothy was the

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

of his will, which directed her to destroy most of the plates for Dicksee's etchings.

Works

This is an incomplete list. * "Watercress Beds – Surrey" (1885) * "Beauty and the Beast" (1887) *"All His Troubles Before Him" (1887) *"Silent Sympathy" (1894) *"The Watcher on the Hill" (1900) *"Where's Master?" (1911), commissioned by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

*"The Kill" (1933) *"Family of Bloodhounds" (1894 - Etching)

References

"The Life and Etchings of Herbert Dicksee"
Pottery Auctions website.
"Windsor Magazine April 1906"
The Art of Mr Herbert Dicksee, by Enoch Scribe. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dicksee, Herbert 1862 births 1942 deaths Dog artists 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Artists' Rifles soldiers 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists

Works

See also

References