James Baker Pyne (5 December 1800 – 29 July 1870) was an English

landscape painter Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

who became a successful follower of

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters * Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for tur ...

, after having been in his earlier years a member of the

Bristol School The Bristol School (or Bristol School of Artists) is a term applied retrospectively to describe the informal association and works of a group of artists working in Bristol, England, in the early 19th century. It was mainly active in the 182 ...

of artists and a follower of

Francis Danby Francis Danby (16 November 1793 – 9 February 1861) was an Irish painter of the Romantic era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes were comparable to those of John Martin. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the cen ...

Early life

Pyne was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England and taught himself to paint. He took part in the sketching activities of the Bristol School in the 1820s, and exhibited for the first time in Bristol in 1824. His style and subject matter, namely the atmospheric depiction of local landscapes and imaginary scenes, were those of Danby and the Bristol School, among whom he was one of the most able oil painters. Examples were ''Imaginary Scene'' (1828) and ''View of the Avon from Durdham Down'' (1829). In 1832, after producing some oil paintings of the

Bristol Riots The Bristol riots refer to a number of significant riots in the city of Bristol in England. Bristol Bridge riot, 1793 In 1794 the populace of Bristol were said to be "apt to collect in mobs on the slightest occasions; but have been seldom so sp ...

, he spent 6 weeks in France with his fellow Bristol School artist

Edward Villiers Rippingille Edward Villiers Rippingille (c. 1790–1859) was an English oil painter and watercolourist who was a member of the informal group of artists which has come to be known as the Bristol School. In that group he was a particularly close ...

. Pyne also seems to have participated from 1832–33 in the revival of the Bristol School's sketching meetings.

Later years

James Baker Pyne - The Entrance to the Menai Straits - Google Art Project

William James Müller had been apprenticed to Pyne during 1827–29/30. However Müller did not remain much influenced by Pyne and the other Bristol School artists. Pyne himself did not long continue in the style of Danby's "poetical" landscapes. In the mid 1830s, probably in 1835, he moved to London where he developed his mature style. His landscapes now followed Turner in their colours and style of composition. Turner's influence can be seen for example in ''Clifton, Near Bristol, from the Avon'' (1837), which was exhibited at 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 ...

. Pyne exhibited at the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it ...

during 1833–1844 at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, and at the Royal Academy during 1836–41. He became Vice-President of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fi ...

In 1846 he travelled to Germany, Switzerland and Italy. He often painted in the Lake District. The art dealership

Thomas Agnew and Sons Thomas Agnew & Sons is a fine arts dealer in London that began as a print and publishing partnership between Thomas Agnew and Vittore Zanetti in Manchester in 1817. Agnew ended the partnership by taking full control of the company in 1835. The fi ...

commissioned him to paint in the Lake District in 1848, and then in 1851 to make a three year tour of Italy, in which he was accompanied by the Bristol

watercolourist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...

William Evans. Pyne died on 29 July 1870 at his home, 203 Camden Road, London, leaving sons James Baker Pyne, a photographer, and Charles Pyne, an artist. Besides Müller, his pupils included George Arthur Fripp and James Astbury Hammersley. He is buried with his wife Anne (1805 - 1865) on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

. The grave (no.13995) no longer has a headstone.

References

External links

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Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyne, James Baker 1800 births 1870 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters Artists from Bristol History of Bristol English romantic painters English landscape artists English watercolourists Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century English male artists Artists' Rifles soldiers