This sublime early 20th-century watercolour by English artist Frank Wasley (1848-1934) depicts the Lagoon near Venice at sundown; it’s distinctly Turneresque. Wasley was a masterful painter of maritime scenes and predominantly known as a watercolourist.
Venice appears to hover amid a vaporous horizon, as tinted mists envelop the atmosphere. A near-ethereal glow illuminates several vessels, which are described with post-impressionistic handling. It’s timeless, an amalgamation of Turner’s airy visions and the emerging styles of the early 20th-century pioneers. A suitable celebration of this great City.
Born in Peckham, London, Wasley’s early years were rather nomadic, as it appears his family moved often. During an interview with The Artist magazine in 1901, he described being raised in the countryside, which enabled him to “revel in long solitary rambles” and “rejoice in the pageant of Nature's ever-changing moods”. Inspired by the picturesque scenery around him, he taught himself to draw and was evidently a keen draughtsman.
However, before pursuing a professional career as a painter, he trained formally as a cellist and undertook work as a travelling musician. He’s recorded as undertaking a four-year tour of Canada in 1871.
In 1875, having returned from Canada, he switched from the orchestra to the sketchbook and established a studio in Whitby, Yorkshire. Here, captivated by towering cliffs, sheltered bays, and ever-changing waters, he began his work in earnest. It’s said that he was “enchanted with the poetic grandeur of Turner” but also the “breadth and freedom of Constable and [David] Cox”.
A restless soul, by 1880, he was living in Nottingham, and by 1882, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Followed by a period in Manchester, before returning in 1896 to Whitby.
In 1894, alongside his accomplished works in watercolour, Owen became renowned for his expressive portrayals of nature in charcoal. These are free and rhythmical, without the burden of overthought. There’s a sense of vigour, as if he liberated himself from the demands of his usual process. Over time, he began to approach his watercolours in the same vein. As we see here in this piece, produced circa 1916. Critics labelled him “a highly talented post-impressionist”.
Despite developing a keen following, Wasley’s success was broadly posthumous, with collectors rediscovering his oeuvre in the 1970s. Perhaps only by looking back did the obvious comparison with Turner truly emerge.
He exhibited at Britain’s leading venues, including the Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, among others.
Held in a later frame.
Learn more about Frank Wasley in our directory.
Medium: Watercolour and bodycolour on paper
Overall size: 30½” x 24½” / 77cm x 62cm
Year of creation: c. 1916
Labels & Inscriptions: Framer’s label, dated July 3rd 1916, attached to the reverse relating to John Cowen of Newcastle.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Overall, very presentable. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £5,600 for ‘Returning To Whitby In The Storm (1890)’, Oil on canvas, North Yorkshire, 12 September 2005.
Our reference: BRV2027
