John Pearson (1859 in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
– 1930 in
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames Estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ...
) (
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1885–1910) was a master craftsman of the
Newlyn School
The Newlyn School was an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall, from the 1880s until the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was remini ...
and Guild of Handicrafts. He worked in copper and his style is described as
arts and crafts
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
/
Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style)
The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It was the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of ...
.
Together with
Charles Robert Ashbee
Charles Robert Ashbee (17 May 1863 – 23 May 1942) was an English architect and designer who was a prime mover of the Arts and Crafts movement, which took its craft ethic from the works of John Ruskin and its co-operative structure from the soci ...
, he was a founding member of the Guild of Handicraft at
Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1888. John Pearson was dismissed from the Guild of Handicraft in 1892 and made his way to
Newlyn
Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England.
Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...
, Cornwall where he worked in the recently established industrial school.
Pearson was greatly influenced by
William De Morgan
William Frend De Morgan (16 November 1839 – 15 January 1917) was an English potter, tile designer and novelist. A lifelong friend of William Morris, he designed tiles, stained glass and furniture for Morris & Co. from 1863 to 1872. His tile ...
(1839–1917) and there is some evidence that he worked in some capacity at De Morgan's workshop decorating tiles and pottery and making associated metalwork, for example tile mounts.
Perhaps the most notable examples of Pearson's work are the four large copper plaques, earth, air, fire and water, that decorate the facade of
Newlyn Art Gallery
Newlyn Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. Opened in 1895, designed by James Hicks of Redruth and financed by John Passmore Edwards the gallery was conceived as a home and exhibition venue for the Newlyn ...
. In addition to his time with De Morgan, as the senior metalworker at the Guild of Handicraft and at Newlyn, Pearson worked on his own account as a metalworker and decorating pottery.
See also
*
Newlyn Copper
Newlyn Copper was a class of arts and crafts copperware originating in Newlyn in Cornwall.
History
In the late 19th century the fishing industry in Cornwall was becoming unreliable as a source of income; bad weather and seasonal fluctuation ...
References
John Pearson Poikilia Decorative Arts
John Pearson at Jordan and Chard reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, John (Artist)
English metalsmiths
20th-century British artisans
19th-century British artisans
Arts and Crafts movement artists
Artists from Cornwall
Art Nouveau designers
20th-century English artists
1859 births
1930 deaths
British coppersmiths
Decorative artists