James Fletcher-Watson
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James Fletcher-Watson (25 July 1913 – 12 June 2004) was a British watercolourist and architect.


Biography

Fletcher-Watson was born at
Coulsdon Coulsdon (, traditionally pronounced ) is a town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. Coulsdon was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey that included the settlements of Purley and Kenley. It was merged with Sand ...
(then in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, now in the
London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...
), but grew up in Norfolk. He was educated at
Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, for boarding school, boarding and Day school, day pupils aged 13–18, in ...
, then studied at the former
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 ...
School of Architecture under
Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
and
Albert Richardson Albert Richardson may refer to: * Albert Richardson (architect) (1880–1964), English architect * Albert Richardson (priest) (1868–1905), English missionary to Africa and India * Albert Richardson (Wisconsin politician) (1864–1937), American po ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he served with the
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
in India and designed airfields for the invasion of Burma, including the former RAF Imphal (now
Imphal International Airport Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IATA: IMF, ICAO: VEIM), also known as Imphal Airport, and formerly known as Tulihal International Airport, is an international airport serving Imphal, the capital of Manipur, India, located 7 km sou ...
). His sketches from that time were published in ''Soldier Artist in Wartime India''. As a
watercolour 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 ...
painter he was influenced by the
Norwich School of painters The Norwich school of painters was the first provincial art movement established in Britain, active in the early 19th century. Artists of the school were inspired by the natural environment of the Norfolk landscape and owed some influence to the w ...
who were inspired by the natural beauty of the Norfolk landscape. His paintings were exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, and he was a member of 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 ...
and of the
Royal 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 ...
.


Publications


''The Magic of Watercolour''
B.T. Batsford, 1987
''Outdoor Painting''
B.T. Batsford, 1993
''Soldier Artist in Wartime India''
Country Heritage, 2000
''Watercolour Secrets''
Batsford, 2003


References


External links

* 1913 births 2004 deaths People educated at Eastbourne College Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II English watercolourists 20th-century English architects Norwich Twenty Group {{England-painter-stub