Colin Middleton
Encyclopedia
Colin Middleton MBE was an Irish
artist
and surrealist
.
Middleton was born in 1910 in Belfast
. He trained at Belfast College of Art, he was heavily influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh
. He regarded himself as the only surrealist
working in Ireland in the 1930s.
His work first appeared at the Royal Hibernian Academy
in 1938. His first solo exhibition was at the Grafton Gallery in 1944. A damask
-designer like his father before him, he now devoted himself to full-time painting. More exhibitions followed in Dublin, London
and Boston
.
In 1953, he moved to Bangor where he designed for the New Theatre; he also designed sets for the Circle Theatre and the Lyric Theatre. At around this time he exhibited alongside Daniel O'Neill at the Tooth Galleries in London. In the same year (1954), he started his career as an art teacher at the Belfast College of Art and at Coleraine Technical School, eventually becoming head of art at Friends' School, Lisburn. The 'Dublin Magazine' at this time said of him: 'Apart from the brilliance of his paint, he has one rare quality in his inexhaustible capacity for wonder'.
A poet and musician, Middleton also produced murals, mosaics and posters. In 1969, he was awarded an MBE and appointed an associate at the Royal Hibernian Academy
, with full membership in 1970. A major retrospective was held in 1976 at The Ulster Museum and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
of Modern Art in Dublin. He continued to exhibit at the RHA until his death in 1983 in Dublin.
Critical Biography
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
.
Middleton was born in 1910 in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. He trained at Belfast College of Art, he was heavily influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
. He regarded himself as the only surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
working in Ireland in the 1930s.
His work first appeared at the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
in 1938. His first solo exhibition was at the Grafton Gallery in 1944. A damask
Damask
Damask is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave...
-designer like his father before him, he now devoted himself to full-time painting. More exhibitions followed in Dublin, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In 1953, he moved to Bangor where he designed for the New Theatre; he also designed sets for the Circle Theatre and the Lyric Theatre. At around this time he exhibited alongside Daniel O'Neill at the Tooth Galleries in London. In the same year (1954), he started his career as an art teacher at the Belfast College of Art and at Coleraine Technical School, eventually becoming head of art at Friends' School, Lisburn. The 'Dublin Magazine' at this time said of him: 'Apart from the brilliance of his paint, he has one rare quality in his inexhaustible capacity for wonder'.
A poet and musician, Middleton also produced murals, mosaics and posters. In 1969, he was awarded an MBE and appointed an associate at the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
, with full membership in 1970. A major retrospective was held in 1976 at The Ulster Museum and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is an art gallery funded by Dublin City Council and located in Charlemont House in Dublin, Ireland. Charlemont House was originally the town house of James Caulfeild, the 1st Earl of Charlemont and was designed by Sir William Chambers.Previously called the...
of Modern Art in Dublin. He continued to exhibit at the RHA until his death in 1983 in Dublin.
Critical Biography
- John Hewitt, Colin Middleton (Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 1976)