British landscape artist William Graham Buxton depicted gloriously atmospheric scenes of the British countryside. From the coasts of Essex and Sussex to the rich, rolling hills further inland, Buxton’s works offer the viewer both a sentimental spirit and a rousing realism.

Born in Camden Town, London, Buxton was the son of a railway clerk. It seems he followed his father into the profession in his early adulthood. However, by the time Buxton was in his early twenties, married to Kate Shepard and with his own son on the way, he is listed as being a ‘landscape and figure artist.’

Buxton would continue to be listed as an artist in censuses throughout his life. He began to exhibit his work, showing pieces in prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy and the Sussex Street Gallery. Alongside these successful ventures, he also worked for a time as the managing director of a fine art publishing company. Art was seemingly in his blood, and Buxton allowed it to occupy almost all aspects of his life.

Buxton lived and worked in the Greater London area for most of his life, however it seems he took many trips further out of the city to the coasts of southern England. It also appears he lived for a time in Hastings, Sussex.

These trips are reflected in his oeuvre of works. Buxton predominantly captured sun-soaked, hazy scenes of landscapes and seascapes. These invoke both a canny realism and a celebratory, sentimental quality. The simmering sea is composed of slick lines of gorgeous azure, kissing a luminous sky. Upon the shore, hunks of rock and strings of seaweed cut jagged lines across grainy sand.

Houses on the harbourfront demonstrate an understanding of perspective and dimension, lending to his work a grounding realism.

Nature is depicted in thrall in the works of William Graham Buxton. It is celebrated in its beauty, yet Buxton never loses sight of the shore and its sure realism. Such works would have been incredibly popular in Buxton’s time, and the appeal can still be seen readily to this day.

Buxton would pass on an artistic interest to his son, Dudley Graham Buxton (1884-1951). The young Buxton would begin working as a stock-keeper in his father’s fine art company. No doubt being surrounded by all things art inspired his own fervour. The younger Buxton would become a successful cartoon artist, his works being published in magazines such as ‘Tatler’ and ‘The Sketch.’

1858

Born in Camden Town, London, Britain.

1881

Married Kate Shepard.

1884

Son Dudley Graham Buxton born.

1890

Exhibited at the Royal Academy.

1926

Died.