The ‘Newlyn School’ is a name applied to the painters who worked in the Cornish fishing port of Newlyn from the 1880s, particularly those directly linked with Stanhope Forbes (1857–1947), who was the founder and leader of the school.

One of the attractions of Newlyn was the mild climate, which made it particularly suitable for outdoor work, and Forbes and his associates were among the pioneers of plein-air painting in Britain. Apart from Forbes and his wife Elizabeth Armstrong (1859–1912), the artists most closely associated with Newlyn in its heyday include: Frank Bramley (1857–1915); Thomas Cooper Gotch (1854–1931), better known for his later work, particularly his allegorical pictures of children; Fred Hall (1860–1948), Walter Langley (1852–1922), and Henry Scott Tuke.

Many of the Newlyn artists were members of the New English Art Club, but they also showed their work at the Royal Academy. The golden period of Newlyn was over by the turn of the century; thereafter it was vulgarized by an influx of inferior talent, and St Ives came to have a greater attraction for 20th-century artists. However, distinguished painters continued to be associated with Newlyn: Harold and Laura Knight lived there, 1907–18, for example, and Dod Procter (1892–1972) and her husband Ernest Procter (1886–1935) studied with Forbes and settled in the village after their marriage in 1912.

Find out more

- Newlyn Art Gallery (01736 363715)
New Road, Newlyn, TR18 5PZ
www.newlynartgallery.co.uk

- Penlee House Gallery and Museum (01736 363625)
Morrab Road, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4HE

Gallery

Text © Ian Chilvers.

Other articles you may enjoy

• Stanhope Forbes piece ‘The Abby’ finds the perfect home.
• Mat McIvor
• Newlyn’s harbour commission on the brink of collapse.
• Fishing in West Cornwall