George Phoenix
Encyclopedia
George Phoenix was a British (Victorian/Edwardian) landscape, figurative and portrait artist and sculptor. He regularly exhibited his works in his native Wolverhampton and nationally. They are represented at Wolverhampton Art Gallery
and other galleries of the Midlands, and at the National Portrait Gallery.
, as George Phoenix Edwards, the second of seven surviving children of George William Walter Edwards, a hair-dresser, and his wife Jane, née Phoenix. He studied at the Birmingham School of Art
. The 1881 census describes 17 year old George Edwards as 'an artist (photo)'. At about thus time, he undertook a walking tour in Wales
which later he would consider a start of his artistic career.
He definitely lived in London in the late 1880s, as he painted the only known portrait of the artist Henry Mark Anthony
. In 1889, when he was in Bournemouth, he started to exhibit. He took as his artistic name the maiden name of his mother, Phoenix, and his paintings are usually signed 'Geo Phoenix'. They were shown at the Royal Academy
, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
, Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool), and the New Gallery.
In around 1890 he returned to Wolverhampton and in 1891 married Julia Critchlow (1858–1932). Since then, he lived permanently in Wolverhampton where he maintained a studio in the Merridale Road and then in the Clarendon Street.
, Sir Charles Tertius Mander
and his family, and others. His posthumous portraits of Sister Dora
of Walsall and Douglas Harris of Wolverhampton correspond with their sculptural monuments and confirm his relations with sculptors Francis John Williamson (1833–1920) and Robert Jackson Emerson (1878–1944). His landscape paintings depicting mainly English countryside - Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Lincoln - were much influenced by Henry Mark Anthony. He also painted landscapes of Normandy and Holland. He often painted 'old Wolverhampton'. In 1922, his large-scale painting 'The Old Hill, Tettenhall' was presented to Wolverhampton Art Gallery by subscription.
Several religious paintings are known, among them - 'The Spirit of Christ' which was shown at his solo exhibition in 1927, and 'The Prodigal Son' (now at Wolverhampton Art Gallery). As an illustrator, he contributed drawings and cartoons to 'Punch'.
Geo Phoenix was a well-known, respected, and active member of the local society. He participated in the organisation of the Wolverhampton Art and Industrial Exhibition in 1902 and created its large-scale pictorial panorama. A souvenir album of the Exhibition was illustrated with his watercolour. His humorous cartoons depicting the main organisers of the Exhibition have been preserved at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. In 1922, Phoenix presented six his paintings to the Gallery as his personal tribute to the survivors of the Great War (The World War I). Among them was the painting 'The Grandmother's Wardrobe' (1912) which was considered the best Phoenix' work.
. Written in a form of a conversation with a lady-friend, it provides useful information about the ways of local art patronage, early years of Wolverhampton Art Gallery and art criticism of the Edwardian period. Several Phoenix' remarks on art in Wolverhampton and events at Wolverhampton Art Gallery can be found on the pages of a local newspaper 'Express & Star'.
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman , and built on land provided by the Council...
and other galleries of the Midlands, and at the National Portrait Gallery.
Biography
George Phoenix was born in 1863 in WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, as George Phoenix Edwards, the second of seven surviving children of George William Walter Edwards, a hair-dresser, and his wife Jane, née Phoenix. He studied at the Birmingham School of Art
Birmingham School of Art
The Birmingham School of Art was a municipal art school based in the centre of Birmingham, England. Although the organisation was absorbed by Birmingham Polytechnic in 1971 and is now part of Birmingham City University's Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, its Grade I listed building on...
. The 1881 census describes 17 year old George Edwards as 'an artist (photo)'. At about thus time, he undertook a walking tour in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
which later he would consider a start of his artistic career.
He definitely lived in London in the late 1880s, as he painted the only known portrait of the artist Henry Mark Anthony
Henry Mark Anthony
Henry Mark Anthony was an English landscape artist, often favourably compared to John Constable by critics...
. In 1889, when he was in Bournemouth, he started to exhibit. He took as his artistic name the maiden name of his mother, Phoenix, and his paintings are usually signed 'Geo Phoenix'. They were shown at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists or RBSA is a learned society of artists and an art gallery based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England. it is both a registered charity. and a registered company The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists or RBSA is a learned society of artists and an...
, Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool), and the New Gallery.
In around 1890 he returned to Wolverhampton and in 1891 married Julia Critchlow (1858–1932). Since then, he lived permanently in Wolverhampton where he maintained a studio in the Merridale Road and then in the Clarendon Street.
Work
Phoenix worked in both oils and watercolours. At the early stage of his artistic career, he was supported and encouraged by Wolverhampton builder and patron of arts Philip Horsman whose posthumous portrait Phoenix painted in 1900 (Wolverhampton Art Gallery). He completed many portraits including these of the Mayors and Town Clerks of Wolverhampton and Bilston, doctors and nurses of South Staffordshire General Hospital (now at New Cross Hospital), Lord Bishop of Lichfield Dr KempthorneJohn Augustine Kempthorne
John Augustine Kempthorne was an Anglican Bishop, the second Bishop of Hull in the modern era from 1910 until 1913, who was then translated to Lichfield where he served until 1937....
, Sir Charles Tertius Mander
Charles Tertius Mander
Sir Charles Tertius Mander, 1st Baronet JP, DL, was a Midland manufacturer , philanthropist and public servant, of Wolverhampton, England....
and his family, and others. His posthumous portraits of Sister Dora
Sister Dora
Sister Dora was a 19th century Church of England nun and a nurse in Walsall, Staffordshire.-Life:...
of Walsall and Douglas Harris of Wolverhampton correspond with their sculptural monuments and confirm his relations with sculptors Francis John Williamson (1833–1920) and Robert Jackson Emerson (1878–1944). His landscape paintings depicting mainly English countryside - Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Lincoln - were much influenced by Henry Mark Anthony. He also painted landscapes of Normandy and Holland. He often painted 'old Wolverhampton'. In 1922, his large-scale painting 'The Old Hill, Tettenhall' was presented to Wolverhampton Art Gallery by subscription.
Several religious paintings are known, among them - 'The Spirit of Christ' which was shown at his solo exhibition in 1927, and 'The Prodigal Son' (now at Wolverhampton Art Gallery). As an illustrator, he contributed drawings and cartoons to 'Punch'.
Geo Phoenix was a well-known, respected, and active member of the local society. He participated in the organisation of the Wolverhampton Art and Industrial Exhibition in 1902 and created its large-scale pictorial panorama. A souvenir album of the Exhibition was illustrated with his watercolour. His humorous cartoons depicting the main organisers of the Exhibition have been preserved at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. In 1922, Phoenix presented six his paintings to the Gallery as his personal tribute to the survivors of the Great War (The World War I). Among them was the painting 'The Grandmother's Wardrobe' (1912) which was considered the best Phoenix' work.
Writing
In 1907, he wrote a book ‘Wolverhampton Art Gallery Pictures’ which became the first guide-book of Wolverhampton Art GalleryWolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman , and built on land provided by the Council...
. Written in a form of a conversation with a lady-friend, it provides useful information about the ways of local art patronage, early years of Wolverhampton Art Gallery and art criticism of the Edwardian period. Several Phoenix' remarks on art in Wolverhampton and events at Wolverhampton Art Gallery can be found on the pages of a local newspaper 'Express & Star'.
Exhibitions
Geo Phoenix regularly participated in Wolverhampton Art exhibitions. His solo show in 1927 included more than one hundred paintings and works on paper from Wolverhampton Art Gallery and private collections, and a sculpture bust of Wolverhampton industrialist A Hickman. In local press, the exhibition was described as demonstrating "versatility, imagination and craftsmanship". Another show was organised in 1932 to celebrate 50 years of his artistic career. At that time, it was noticed that his late paintings demonstrated his strong inclination to the religious subjects, but those were inferior in comparison to his early landscapes. George Phoenix' death in 1935 was also marked by a memorial exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.Literature
- Geo. Phoenix. Wolverhampton Art Gallery Pictures. Wolverhampton [no date, c.1907].
- Graves, Algernon. The Royal Academy of Arts Exhibitors. V.3.
- Morris Sidney, Morris Kathleen. A Catalogue of Birmingham & West Midlands Painters of the Nineteenth Century. 1974.