Ruth Simpson (née Alison, 1889 – 1964) was a British artist who was an active member 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 ...

of artists and the

Lamorna Lamorna () is a village, valley and cove in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the Penwith peninsula approximately south of Penzance. Lamorna became popular with the artists of the Newlyn School, including Alfred Munnings, Laura Knight a ...

artists colony.

Biography

Simpson was born in Newcastle, the daughter of Alister and Ada Alison. She studied art under

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

and

Stanhope Forbes Stanhope Alexander Forbes (18 November 1857 – 2 March 1947) was an Irish artist and a founding member of the influential Newlyn school of painters. He was often called 'the father of the Newlyn School'.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 ...

during 1911 and 1912. In Newlyn, Simpson lodged with her sister Rose and together they led a full social life. During this time Simpson met the artist Charles Walter Simpson and the couple married in 1913. Their daughter, Leonora, was born the following year in Newlyn. Subsequently, the family lived in different locations throughout Cornwall, including at

Carbis Bay Carbis Bay (Cornish: ''Karrbons'', meaning "causeway") is a seaside resort and village in Cornwall, England. It lies southeast of St Ives, Cornwall, St Ives, on the western coast of St Ives Bay, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The Sou ...

and at St Ives. A joint show of their work was held in 1919. In St Ives, starting in 1920 the Simpsons ran their own painting school, the Shore Studio, with Ruth specializing in teaching portrait painting. In 1924, they closed the painting school and moved to London but returned to Cornwall in 1931 and settled in Lamorna where they remained until 1945, when they moved to

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

. It appears Ruth Simpson did little, if any, painting after returning from London and she died at

Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...

in 1964 and is buried in the cemetery at

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

. As an artist, Ruth Simpson largely focused on portrait painting. She developed a distinct style of portraiture, working with colour in a modern style and often using bright coloured backgrounds. She had three works in group shows hosted by the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell ...

. She painted several portraits of women artists who were based in Cornwall, including Ella Naper and Gertrude Harvey. Her three-quarter length ''Portrait of an Officer'' is in the collection of the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

while her portrait of

Frank Ver Beck William Francis Ver Beck (June 1, 1858 – July 13, 1933) was an American illustrator known for his comedic drawings of animals. Biography Ver Beck was born in Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio as the son of a shoemaker. He studied art and ...

is held by the

Royal Cornwall Museum The Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, formerly known as the Royal Cornwall Museum, is a museum in Truro, England, which holds an extensive mineral collection rooted in Cornwall's mining and engineering heritage (including much of the mineral coll ...

. Works by Simpson were included in the exhibition ''Painting in Newlyn 1880–1930'' held at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

during 1985.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Ruth 1889 births 1964 deaths 20th-century English painters Lamorna Art colony Newlyn School of Artists Painters from Cornwall People from Newlyn 20th-century English women painters