Richmond upon Thames – watercolours by Roland Batchelor RWS (3)

Price: £

Description: Bernard William Roland Batchelor continues to be a much-loved artist, primarily because he could capture a scene full of warmth, movement and spontaneity with such a lightness of touch. These qualities are very evident in this group of watercolours from Roland's sketchbooks. They depict the landing stage, boat houses and riverside at Richmond upon Thames. As you would expect from sketches, they are unsigned. When we acquired them from a friend of Roland's, the mounted watercolours had protective cellophane around them with labels about the artist and subject. The wrappers had to be removed so they could be photographed, however, the labels will be carefully detached and given to the buyer. These charming watercolours are being offered in a mounted but unframed state. In our opinion, they would look particularly attractive as one group in a single frame. Whether he was painting in Richmond upon Thames or in his beloved rural France, Roland had a wonderful ability to convey human interaction with a perfect blend of humour and realism. His medium of choice, especially in his later years, was watercolour. However, he was also a very talented etcher and illustrator. Roland was born in London and from an early age began to paint. He was a civil servant from 1905-49, painting and studying in his spare time, firstly at Putney School of Art, under George Morrow (q.v.) and, after serving during WWI, at Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art with Harry Watson (q.v.). After retiring he had further tuition with A R Middleton Todd at the City and Guilds of London School. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and the Royal Watercolour Society, of which he became a member in 1966. He was a Francophile and recorded ordinary French life in watercolours and numerous notebooks. He lived in St Margaret's on Thames, Middlesex. His son was the artist Bernard Batchelor (1924-2012). His work is held by the V&A Museum as well as the British Museum. Measurements - Landing Stage at Richmond 25 cm x 18 cm, Boat Houses Richmond 18 x 25 cm, Richmond Riverside 18 x 25 cm.

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