William Riviere (1806–1876) sometimes Rivière, was an English painter and art educator.

Life

Born in the parish of St Marylebone, London, on 22 October 1806, was son of Daniel Valentine Riviere, a drawing-master; and brother of Henry Parsons Rivière (1811–1888), another painter, and Robert Riviere. After receiving instruction from his father, he became a student 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 ...

. He was noted as a draughtsman, and as a student of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

and the Roman and Florentine artists. He exhibited first in 1826, when he sent to the Royal Academy a portrait and a scene from Shakespeare's '' King John''. Later Riviere concentrated on teaching, and in 1849 he was appointed drawing-master at

Cheltenham College Cheltenham College is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding linguis ...

, where he created a drawing-school. After ten years, he went to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, where he promoted his view that the study of art should form an essential part of higher education. Shortly after arriving In Oxford, Riviere was commissioned by the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

to complete the set of ten murals within its new debating chamber. Painting of the murals by such artists associated with the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

movement as

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

, Arthur Hughes,

Burne-Jones The Burne-Jones Baronetcy, of Rottingdean in the County of Sussex, and of The Grange in the Parish of Fulham in the County of London, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 4 May 1894 for the artist and designer ...

, and

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

, had begun in August 1857. But by March 1858 the project had been left unfinished, so the Oxford Union commissioned Riviere to complete the last remaining three panels. This he did, his pictures depicting the education of Arthur by Merlin, King Arthur’s first victory with the sword, and Arthur’s wedding. Riviere died suddenly, at 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford, on 21 August 1876. A miniature of him when a young man, by Charles William Pegler, went to his son

Briton Rivière Briton Rivière (14 August 1840 – 20 April 1920) was a British artist of Huguenot descent. He exhibited a variety of paintings at the Royal Academy, but devoted much of his life to animal paintings. Biography Briton's father, William Rivi� ...

, R.A., one of four children with his wife from 1830 Ann Jarvis, a still-life painter.

Works

During the 1820s Riviere exhibited at the Royal Academy and 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 ...

a number of portraits, domestic subjects, and landscapes. In 1843 he sent to the

Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...

competition a cartoon, the subject of which was a "Council of Ancient Britons"; and in 1844 a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

, ''An Act of Mercy''; and a painting in oils, ''Council of Ancient Britons''. In 1845 he sent to Westminster Hall a sketch, ''Prince Henry, afterwards Henry V, acknowledging the authority of Chief Justice Gascoigne'', with a portion of the subject in fresco; and in 1847 an oil-painting, ''The Acts of Mercy''. Riviere was also a landscape-painter, both in oil and in watercolours, and a sculptor. His last exhibited work was a portrait of Philip Wynter, president of

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

, which was at the Royal Academy in 1860.

Notes

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Riviere, William 1806 births 1876 deaths English painters British art educators Burials at St Sepulchre's Cemetery