Graham Bell (artist)
Encyclopedia
Graham Bell was an artist and journalist.
Painter of portraits, landscapes and still life. Bell first worked in a bank and on a farm before turning to art. He studied at the Durban
Art School and held first one-man exhibition at the City Hall in Durban in 1931. Came to England 1931. At first inspired by the work of Duncan Grant
; then met William Coldstream
and, under the influence of Geoffrey Tibble
, showed non-representational works at the exhibition of Objective Abstractions at the Zwemmer Gallery in 1934.
Between 1934 and 1937, Bell abandoned painting and took up journalism. He contributed to the New Statesman
and went on to become the arts editor of that publication. He took up painting again but continued with his writings and in 1939 he published The Artist and His Public. Bell also wrote the Plan for Artists along with Kenneth Clark
which put forward the idea that modern artists should receive patronage to encourage them. This scheme saw a number of his contemporaries being enabled to become artists, when financial necessity would otherwise have ended their careers.
In 1937, along with William Coldstream
, Lawrence Gowing
, Rodrigo Moynihan
, Victor Pasmore
and Claude Rogers, Bell was one of the founders of the Euston Road School
. This modern British realist group of painters all either taught or studied at the school of painting and drawing which they set up at 316 Euston Road in London
. They were consciously reacting against avant-garde styles and asserting the importance of painting traditional subjects in a realist manner. This attitude was largely based on a political agenda to create a widely understandable and socially relevant art. Most were socialists and some of them were members of the Communist Party
. Many also were recording with the idea of recording their times for posterity as part of the Mass Observation movement; however their work was not propagandist in the manner of Socialist Realism. The School was affiliated to the Artists’ International Association, helping artists fleeing from Nazi Germany to resettle and find work.
When war broke out Bell enlisted with the RAF. He was killed on a training flight in England on August 9, 1943 ending at the age of 32 what was widely foreseen as becoming one of the most sensitive and conscientious artistic careers.
Painter of portraits, landscapes and still life. Bell first worked in a bank and on a farm before turning to art. He studied at the Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
Art School and held first one-man exhibition at the City Hall in Durban in 1931. Came to England 1931. At first inspired by the work of Duncan Grant
Duncan Grant
Duncan James Corrowr Grant was a British painter and designer of textiles, potterty and theatre sets and costumes...
; then met William Coldstream
William Coldstream
Sir William Menzies Coldstream was a British realist painter and a long standing art teacher.-Biography:...
and, under the influence of Geoffrey Tibble
Geoffrey Tibble
Geoffrey Arthur Tibble was an English artist.Tibble studied at the Slade School under Henry Tonks where he was a contemporary of William Coldstream...
, showed non-representational works at the exhibition of Objective Abstractions at the Zwemmer Gallery in 1934.
Between 1934 and 1937, Bell abandoned painting and took up journalism. He contributed to the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
and went on to become the arts editor of that publication. He took up painting again but continued with his writings and in 1939 he published The Artist and His Public. Bell also wrote the Plan for Artists along with Kenneth Clark
Kenneth Clark
Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
which put forward the idea that modern artists should receive patronage to encourage them. This scheme saw a number of his contemporaries being enabled to become artists, when financial necessity would otherwise have ended their careers.
In 1937, along with William Coldstream
William Coldstream
Sir William Menzies Coldstream was a British realist painter and a long standing art teacher.-Biography:...
, Lawrence Gowing
Lawrence Gowing
Sir Lawrence Gowing was a British artist, writer, curator and teacher. Initially recognized as a portrait and landscape painter, he quickly rose to prominence as an art educator, writer, and eventually, curator and museum trustee...
, Rodrigo Moynihan
Rodrigo Moynihan
Rodrigo Moynihan was an English painter.-Biography:Moynihan was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, in 1910. His Anglo-Spanish family moved to London in 1918 and then to Wisconsin...
, Victor Pasmore
Victor Pasmore
Edwin John Victor Pasmore was a British artist and architect. He pioneered the development of abstract art in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:...
and Claude Rogers, Bell was one of the founders of the Euston Road School
Euston Road School
The Euston Road School was a group of English painters, active in London between 1937 and 1939.William Coldstream, Victor Pasmore, Claude Rogers, Maurice Field and Graham Bell set up a School of Drawing and Painting in Euston Road in 1937; other associated artists included Lawrence Gowing, Tom...
. This modern British realist group of painters all either taught or studied at the school of painting and drawing which they set up at 316 Euston Road in 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...
. They were consciously reacting against avant-garde styles and asserting the importance of painting traditional subjects in a realist manner. This attitude was largely based on a political agenda to create a widely understandable and socially relevant art. Most were socialists and some of them were members of the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
. Many also were recording with the idea of recording their times for posterity as part of the Mass Observation movement; however their work was not propagandist in the manner of Socialist Realism. The School was affiliated to the Artists’ International Association, helping artists fleeing from Nazi Germany to resettle and find work.
When war broke out Bell enlisted with the RAF. He was killed on a training flight in England on August 9, 1943 ending at the age of 32 what was widely foreseen as becoming one of the most sensitive and conscientious artistic careers.