ARTHUR WARDLE (1860 - 1949)Deer StalkersOil on panel, 16.5 x 27cmSigned; also...
ARTHUR WARDLE (1860 - 1949)Deer StalkersOil on panel, 16.5 x 27cmSigned; also inscribed verso 'Deer Stalkers' and 'Finished study for picture in Royal Academy 1892'; with Christie's stencil verso. Arthur Wardle (1860 – 1949) began his prolific artistic career at the young age of sixteen in 1880 with an exhibit held at the Royal Academy, London. His first exhibit, a study of cattle grazing by the Thames, was well received and forged what was to be a lifelong interest in animal studies and animal portraiture. Wardle though self-taught, was a gifted draughtsman and proficient in all mediums. He excelled however in the use of pastels which saw him elected to the Pastel Society in 1911. Although widely considered one the most proficient dog painters of the 19th and 20th centuries, Wardle’s paintings were also informed by the decidedly more exotic animal subjects he found at London Zoo, including lions, tigers, elephants and leopards. Emboldened by his early successes, the artist moved to St. John’s Wood, London so that he could access his models more easily. Here he no doubt sketched some of the world’s most famous animals including Jumbo the Elephant who was tragically and infamously killed in a locomotive accident in 1885. This artwork is likely an early study for one of Wardle’s most widely known pieces ‘The Deer Stalkers’, currently in the permanent collection of Leed’s Museum. Another similar example is ‘The Deer Stealer’, formerly of the Tanenbaum Collection and Reh’s Gallery, New York and now privately owned. This neat sized study is a clear forerunner for what was to become a staple of Wardle’s work - the hunting scene. Although ranging from delicate pastel sketches to large mythological scenes in oils, Wardle’s animals remain an ever-constant fixture in his work.
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ARTHUR WARDLE (1860 - 1949)Deer StalkersOil on panel, 16.5 x 27cmSigned; also inscribed verso 'Deer Stalkers' and 'Finished study for picture in Royal Academy 1892'; with Christie's stencil verso. Arthur Wardle (1860 – 1949) began his prolific artistic career at the young age of sixteen in 1880 with an exhibit held at the Royal Academy, London. His first exhibit, a study of cattle grazing by the Thames, was well received and forged what was to be a lifelong interest in animal studies and animal portraiture. Wardle though self-taught, was a gifted draughtsman and proficient in all mediums. He excelled however in the use of pastels which saw him elected to the Pastel Society in 1911. Although widely considered one the most proficient dog painters of the 19th and 20th centuries, Wardle’s paintings were also informed by the decidedly more exotic animal subjects he found at London Zoo, including lions, tigers, elephants and leopards. Emboldened by his early successes, the artist moved to St. John’s Wood, London so that he could access his models more easily. Here he no doubt sketched some of the world’s most famous animals including Jumbo the Elephant who was tragically and infamously killed in a locomotive accident in 1885. This artwork is likely an early study for one of Wardle’s most widely known pieces ‘The Deer Stalkers’, currently in the permanent collection of Leed’s Museum. Another similar example is ‘The Deer Stealer’, formerly of the Tanenbaum Collection and Reh’s Gallery, New York and now privately owned. This neat sized study is a clear forerunner for what was to become a staple of Wardle’s work - the hunting scene. Although ranging from delicate pastel sketches to large mythological scenes in oils, Wardle’s animals remain an ever-constant fixture in his work.
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