20th Century British Master Marine Artists

Online Exhibition

April 16 - June 13, 2021

On display are paintings of historic and contemporary marine scenes by several of the best British marine artists of the 20th century. Artworks by Roy Cross, Montague Dawson, Louis Dodd, Henry Scott, and William Bishop explore a variety of subjects such as seascapes, ship portraits, naval battles, whaling vessels, ports and harbors, and river steamboats.

Each artist was passionate about the sea and sailing ships from an early age. They were compelled to draw and paint the ships they saw on the rivers and coasts of England and went on to receive partial and full formal art training. All share a passion for technical details of ships and producing accurate depictions of these complex vessels.

Exclusive exhibition sponsor:

ROY CROSS

Roy Cross (b. 1924) was born in the Docklands of London, England. He first became known as an aviation artist and author, and became a member of the Society of Aviation Artists in 1952. He was largely self-taught, but for a time studied at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, and the St. Martin's School of Fine Arts. During the Second World War, he was a technical illustrator for aviation training manuals, and after the War, went on to become a leading journalist and illustrator of aircraft subjects. His paintings were reproduced on the covers of millions of the popular UK brand Airfix scale model kits, which featured all types of historic aircraft. In the 1960s, his interests widened to the subject of historic sailing and shipping scenes of the London docks that he remembered from his childhood. His commitment to marine paintings grew as his interest in aircraft waned. Cross held his first solo exhibition of marine paintings in 1973, he has since devoted his career to painting marine subjects. 

His works are beautifully crafted, well researched, and Cross is known for his accurate technical understanding of sailing ships. Before beginning a painting, he studies all of the available information about the ship and the historical scene to be portrayed. His depiction of the detailed ship rigging adds to the crispness and clarity of his works. His first entry in the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) in 1977, resulted in Cross being elected to full membership in the Society.

Cross paints in both oils and watercolors. His works are included in the collections of the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, USS Constitution Museum, Boston, MA, the Ventura County Marine Museum, Oxnard, CA, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN.

Montague Dawson 

Montague Dawson (1895-1973) was the son of an avid yachtsman and the grandson of landscape painter Henry Dawson (1811-1878). He was born in Chiswick, England and much of his childhood was spent on Southampton Water where he was able to indulge his interest in the study of ships. Dawson had no formal art training, but began to draw as a child and developed his illustration skills at a London commercial art studio in 1910. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he joined the Royal Navy. While serving with the Navy in Falmouth, he met artist Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917), who considerably influenced his work. Hemy advised the young Dawson, “You must follow after me and you must do better than me.” Dawson was present at the final surrender of the German Grand Fleet and many of his illustrations depicting the event were published in The Sphere newspaper.

After the War, Dawson established himself as a professional marine artist, concentrating on historical subjects and portraits of sailing ships often in stiff breeze or on high seas.  During the Second World War, he was appointed as an official war artist and again worked for The Sphere. Dawson exhibited regularly at the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA), of which he became a member, from 1946 to 1964, and occasionally at the Royal Academy between 1917 and 1936.  By the 1930s he was considered one of the greatest living marine artists, whose patrons included two American Presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as the British Royal Family. 

Montague Dawson’s paintings are instantly recognizable. He developed a style and approach to marine painting that was entirely his own and consistent throughout his long and productive career. Dawson’s method included painting small preliminary studies of his subjects based on extensive research. He would then create larger, final versions of his subject. His knowledge of the seas and ships, combined with his dedication to technical and historical accuracy, produced work that was as close to a truthful representation as he could make it.

The work of Montague Dawson is represented in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England, the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth, England, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN.

Louis Dodd

Louis Dodd (1943-2006) was born in Hastings, England and attended the Hastings School of Art and the Goldsmith School of Art, majoring in illustration. His ability in draftsmanship and line work earned him a National Diploma in Design. After college, he spent several years in typographic and graphic design work, but he was determined to become a full-time fine artist.  His subjects included marine art, ship portraits, notable historic scenes from the American War of Independence, and British naval history between 1760-1880s. 

Dodd painted mainly on mahogany panels, or on fine laminated hardwood panels with one side finished in mahogany, a traditional support for paintings for many centuries. He first applied a primer layer of chalk ground, or gesso, which was scraped down and smoothed. He then used a white lead base to fill in any blemishes. He began his paintings on the wide background, and then he began on the more detailed work, until all of the main elements had been added to painting. Next, Dodd would apply multiple layers of transparent color glazes. Lastly, he would add the fine detail work including the ships’ rigging, and then complete the painting with a coat of varnish.

His oil techniques are similar to those employed by the old masters, and his paintings have the feel of 18th century masterpieces. His work has been compared to the great Italian painter Antonio Canal (1679-1768), better known as Canaletto, whose visits to London beginning in 1746 influenced the English marine painters of that time. Dodd’s paintings have almost a luminescent quality, as a result of this thin painting technique which allows light to pass through the top colors, onto the pure white gesso background, and reflect back, making the painting virtually glow from within. This phenomenon is often associated with Renaissance paintings.

Connoisseur Magazine stated Dodd‘s “ability is unsurpassed. This is coupled with an intimate knowledge of ports and famous structures. He is possibly the most historically gifted artist to come into the marine field in the last 100 years.” 

Dodd’s works are in the collections of the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, CA and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN.

Henry Scott

Henry Scott (1911-2005) was a British painter best known for portraying historic British and American Clipper ships in full sail. He focused particularly on the atmosphere evoked by the ocean and the movement of the vessels, giving his paintings an overall dynamic and realistic effect. 

His paintings have a unique vibrancy, capturing the movement of the waves and the strength of the wind in the billowing sails. Much of his work was done on commission for his wealthy clients; he famously painted Morning Cloud for the then Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Edward Heath in 1970. 

Scott was strongly associated with the Royal Society of Artists. He exhibited his work at the Society of Marine Artists, the Royal Academy, The Royal Exchange, The Guildhall, as well as St. Malo Museum, France, and Madison Square in New York. Scott was honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and awarded an honorary Life Membership by the International Association of Master Mariners.

Dodd’s works are in the collections of National Trust, Benthall Hall, Brosely, England, Southwold Sailors' Reading Room, Southwold, England, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN.

William H. Bishop

William H. Bishop (b.1942) was born and raised in the Portsmouth/Solent area of the South Coast of England. He has maintained a lifetime interest in the sea, sailing, and sail racing. 

As a boy, he was fascinated by the parade of naval and merchant ships passing to and from the Portsmouth and Southampton area, and learned to sail aboard his father's yachts. He began sketching ships and making small, accurate models. Frequent visits to maritime museums sharpened his skills, and he soon discovered the works of many great marine artists, including his favorite marine artist W.L. Wyllie.

With the help of artist Richard Joicey, Bishop was encouraged to submit his work to the prestigious Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) annual exhibition in London. His work was accepted and sold at the preview. He repeated this success for four years running, until the pressure of private commissions made it impossible for him to spare paintings for exhibiting.

He has received commissions from the Royal Navy, Royal Naval Museum, and the Mary Rose Trust.  

Bishop’s works are in public and private collections in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Oman, Gibraltar, West Germany, Jersey, The Falkland Islands, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN.