Henry WALLIS

Background

Wallis was born in London on 21 February 1830, but his father"s name and occupation are unknown. When in 1845 his mother, Mary Anne Thomas, married Andrew Wallis, a prosperous London architect, Henry took his stepfather"s surname.

Education

He also studied in Paris at Marc-Charles-Gabriel Gleyre"s atelier and at the Academie des Beaux Arts, sometime between 1849 and 1853.

Career

His artistic training was thorough and influential. He was admitted as a probationer to the Research Associate and enrolled in the Painting School in March 1848. Wallis is best remembered for his first great success, The Death of Chatterton, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1856.

The painting depicted the impoverished late 18th-century poet Thomas Chatterton, who poisoned himself in despair at the age of seventeen, and was considered a Romantic hero for many young and struggling artists in Wallis"s day.

His method and style in Chatterton reveal the importance of his connection to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, seen in the vibrant colours and careful build-up of symbolic detail. He used a bold colour scheme with a contrasting palette and he exploited the fall of the natural light through the window of the garret to implement his much loved style at the time, chiaroscuro.

The size of Chatterton"s garret was only fractionally larger than the scope of the painting, with room for Wallis and his easel and little else during the preliminary sketches, which were done on-site. The painting is 25x37" and is in the Tate Britain, with other versions in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Artist

There may have been more examples of Chatterton as it was popular and when Wallis had to pay the rent he would paint another version.

He once said that dead poets are more saleable than dead labourers (referring to The Stonebreaker) His next major work, The Stonebreaker (1857, exhibited in 1858), consolidated his reputation as a true Pre-Raphaelite. In total, he showed 35 exhibits at the Research Associate, but later in life developed a greater interest in watercolour painting. The model for his acclaimed The Death of Chatterton was the young George Meredith, whose first wife Mary Ellen would later run off with Wallis.

Wallis" method of painting, especially in the early years of his career, and in particular on "Death of Chatterton", was to do the initial sketch, saturate it in water, use a grey tint to block in the shade, put on the colour and allow it to dry.

When firm, he would use a hair pencil to add in the details, for which he is so renowned. Foreign the light, he would touch the area in question with water and then rub it with a piece of bread.

His studio during these years was in Chelsea, a very bohemian and out of the way part of London at the time. He died, almost blind, at 1 Walpole Road, Croydon, on 20 December 1916.

Works

• book

  • Italian ceramic artThe albarello, a study in early renaissance maiolica

    (Pages 152 It is the reproduction of the old book publishe...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art : The Maiolica Pavement Tiles Of The Fifteenth Century With Illustrations FACSIMILE

    (High Quality FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION: Wallis, Henry :Itali...)

  • Italian ceramic art : The maiolica pavement tiles of the fifteenth century

    (An EXACT reproduction from an original copy of Italian Ce...)

  • Oak-Leaf Jars: A Fifteenth Century Italian Ware Showing Moresco Influence

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Albarello, a Study in Early Renaissance Maiolica

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, with Illustrations

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • The Art of the Precursors - A Study in the History of Early Italian Maiolica with Illustrations

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Oak-Leaf Jars - A Fifteenth Century Italian Ware Showing Moresco Influence

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • The Art Of The Precursors - A Study In The History Of Early Italian Maiolica With Illustrations (Paperback) - Common

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art - The Albarello, A Study In Early Renaissance Maiolica

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art - Notes On Examples Of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found At Constantinople With Illustrations

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople - Scholar's Choice Edition

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • Italian ceramic art: the maiolica pavement tiles of the fifteenth century with illustrations - Scholar's Choice Edition

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art - Scholar's Choice Edition

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople, with Illustrations (1907) (Hardback) - Common

    (Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pot...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian (Classic Reprint)

    (Maiolica can only be arrived at when based on a fnll and ...)

  • The art of the precursors: a study in the history of early Italian Maiolica with illustrations

    (This book was digitized and reprinted from the collection...)

  • The Oriental Influence on the Ceramic Art of the Italian Renaissance with Illustrations (Hardback) - Common

    (The Oriental Influence on the Ceramic Art of the Italian ...)

  • Oak-leaf jars a fifteenth century Italian ware showing Moresco influence. Talbot collection of British pamphlets

    (This book, "Oak-leaf jars a fifteenth century Italian war...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Maiolica Pavement Tiles of the Fifteenth Century with Illustrations (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • Italian ceramic art : the maiolica pavement tiles of the fifteenth century with illustrations

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art. Figure Design And Other Forms Of Ornamantation In Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, With Illustrations FACSIMILE

    (High Quality FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION: Wallis, Henry :Itali...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople with (Hardback) - Common

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople with

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • The Oriental Influence On The Ceramic Art Of The Italian Renaissance With Illustrations

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Albarello, a Study in Early Renaissance Maiolica (1904) (Hardback) - Common

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

  • The Oriental Influence On The Ceramic Art Of The Italian Renaissance With Illustrations (LARGE PRINT EDITION)

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Albarello, a Study in Early Renaissance Maiolica - Primary Source Edition

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Maiolica Pavement Tiles of the Fifteenth Century (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The Oriental Influence on the Ceramic Art of the Italian Renaissance (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, with Illustrations - Primary Source E

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The Art of the Precursors: A Study in the History of Early Italian Maiolica with Illustrations - Primary Source Edition

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art. Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, with Illustrations (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art. Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, with Illustrations - Primary Source Edition

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: Figure Design and Other Forms of Ornamantation in Xvth Century Italian Maiolica, with Illustrations (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes On Examples Of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found At Constantinople With Illustrations...

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Albarello, a Study in Early Renaissance Maiolica

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The Art of the Precursors: A Study in the History of Early Italian Maiolica with Illustrations (Paperback) - Common

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art: The Albarello, a Study in Early Renaissance Maiolica - Primary Source Edition

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian ceramic art. Figure design and other forms of ornamantation in XVth century Italian maiolica, with illustrations

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The Oriental Influence On the Ceramic Art of the Italian Renaissance

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Italian Ceramic Art - Primary Source Edition

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found ... 1907 Hardcover

    (Lang:- English, Pages 137. Reprinted in 2015 with the hel...)

  • Italian ceramic art

    (Italian ceramic art. Figure design and other forms of orn...)

  • (Italian Ceramic Art: The Maiolica Pavement Tiles of the Fifteenth Century with Illustrations ) Author: Henry Wallis Sep-2009
  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople by Wallis, Henry (2009) Paperback
  • Italian Ceramic Art
  • (Italian Ceramic Art: The Maiolica Pavement Tiles of the Fifteenth Century with Illustrations ) Author: Henry Wallis Aug-2011
  • (Italian Ceramic Art ) Author: Henry Wallis Jan-2010
  • The Art of the Precursors A Study of Early Italian Maiolica
  • Italian ceramic art: The albarello, a study in early renaissance maiolica (Volume 86)
  • Byzantine Ceramic Art: Notes on Examples of Byzantine Pottery Recently Found at Constantinople with by Wallis, Henry (2009) Paperback
  • (Oak-Leaf Jars: A Fifteenth Century Italian Ware Showing Moresco Influence (1903) ) Author: Henry Wallis Oct-2008

Membership

He was elected a full member of the RWS (Royal Watercolour Society) in 1878 and exhibited over 80 watercolours at the society.

• Club: Burlington Fine Arts.