FREDERICK STUART RICHARDSON RSW RI ROI 1855 - 1934.
Richardson was born in Clifton, Bristol, the son of a clergyman, but his family had long-standing connections with the Yorkshire coast, and, indeed, with Staithes itself, his grandfather having worked in Whitby and his great grandfather in Staithes.
He trained as a civil engineer, but a legacy in 1877 enabled him to change career and start studying to become an artist. He studied in Paris under Carlos Duran in Paris. On his return to England he initially based himself with his father, who had moved to the Parish of Sandy in Bedfordshire, but he visited the Yorkshire coast annually. This was made easier for him when his brother inherited a property in Aislaby near Whitby.
Richardson travelled widely, both in the UK, and abroad including staying with the Mayors in Montreuil. He moved back to the Bristol area in 1917.
His work is chiefly in watercolours, although he did paint a number of impressive oils. His colours are often diluted with a lot of water, especially his sketches, which can be insipid. His best work is enlivened with areas of strong colour which give them a wonderful sense of light and depth.
He was elected a member of the Staithes Art Club in 1902, of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1893, the Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1897 and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1901. He has works in permanent collections in Preston and Whitby. He exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists Birmingham, the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, the Walker Gallery Liverpool, Manchester City Art Gallery, the New Gallery, the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in
Watercolours.
Bibliography:
Staithes Group Centenary Exhibition, Rosamund Jordan 2003
The Staithes Group, Peter Phillips, Phillips and Sons, Marlow1993
The Dictionary of British Artists 1880 - 1940, J. Johnson & A. Greutzner, Antique
Collectors' Club, Woodbridge 1976
© Rosamund Jordan 2003
