Walter Crane was born in Liverpool, the son of Thomas Crane, a portrait painter and miniaturist. During his early apprenticeship to the wood-engraver William James Linton (1859-62) he had the opportunity to come into close contact with the works of Rossetti, Millais, and other member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle who, along with his interest in the Italian Renaissance the Japanese art and design, were to have a great influences on his own work.
Crane met Burne-Jones and William Morris in 1871 and was inspired by the former’s exhibits at the Old Watercolour Society he began to work in watercolour and tempera, showing works at the Grosvenor Gallery, Dudley Gallery and later at the New Gallery. He was increasingly drawn to landscape painting during a prolonged Italian sojourn in 1871-73. Leighton had introduced him to Giovanni Costa and the landscape painting of other members of the Etruscan School and on his return to London landscapes began to feature more often in his work. However, he is probably still best known as a leading member of the Aesthetic movement and for his illustrations for children’s books, decorative schemes, his radical beliefs and close association with the Socialist movement. — Sarah Colegrave Fine Art
Classical Subjects and Allegories
- The Death of the Year
- Study for The Laidley Worm of Spindleston Heugh
- The Renaissance of Venus
- The Bridge of Life
- Mercy & Justice
- A Herald of Spring
- The Earth and Spring
Landscapes
- Willows whiten, aspens quiver
- Boats in an Italian Harbour
- From Pilatus-Kulm
- Anapo River, Syracuse, Sicily
- The Enchanted Boat
- The Aventine from the Palatine
- La Primavera
Last modified 19 December 2022