This charming mid-20th-century oil painting by British artist Owen Bowen ROI RCA (1873-1967) depicts an undulant landscape with trees, sheep and distant hills. Born in Leeds, Bowen studied under the gregarious William Gilbert Foster (1855-1906) and became an integral member of the ‘Staithes Group’.
There’s a jubilant feel to this piece, it’s a celebration of crisp autumnal air and the abundant sprawling countryside. It’s probably a view in the Yorkshire Dales where the artist returned to time and time again.
An energetic firebrand, Bowen leapt into the world of painting with both feet. By the age of 19, he’d already won medals, opened a studio, launched an art school, and debuted at the Royal Academy. An exciting start for this young pioneer.
His loose impressionistic style and preference for ‘plein air’ is at times reminiscent of Corot, the Barbizon School painter. Views appear to vibrate with intangible energy as if he’s somehow tapped into the very fabric of nature. They’re unusually confident, often lively, and playful even. He was equally adept at capturing a sombre mood with contorted trees rendered in muted tones.
When into his later years, he travelled less and produced an increasing number of still lifes - equally stimulating with vivid colouring. Remarkably his career spanned nine decades. He painted into his 90s.
Owen Bowen exhibited extensively including at the Walker Art Gallery, Royal Academy and the The Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He’s represented at various museums including at Leeds, Harrogate, Kirklees and Bradford among others.
Signed in the lower left and held in a later frame.
Learn more about Owen Bowen in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 25” x 21” / 64cm x 54cm
Year of creation: c. 1930
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £6,600 for ‘The Wharfe Valley, Yorkshire (1909)’, Oil on canvas, Phillips, Yorkshire Pictures And Sporting Pictures, Leeds, 16 October 1991 (lot 249).
Our reference: BRV2009
