Ronald Ossory Dunlop

Ronald Ossory Dunlop
Born	(1894-06-28)28 June 1894 Dublin,Ireland
Died	18 May 1973 (aged 78) Chichester,Sussex, England
Nationality	Irish
Alma mater	Manchester School of Art Wimbledon College of Art
Occupations	Author Painter

Ronald Ossory DunlopRA(28 June 1894 – 18 May 1973) was anIrishwriter and painter in oil of landscapes, seascapes, figure studies, portraits and still life.

Life and career

Dunlop was born inDublin,Ireland, to a Scottish-IrishAnthroposophical-Quakerfamily. His mother painted in watercolour.He studied atManchester School of Art,atWimbledon College of Artand in Paris, having spent some time working in an advertising agency. He became a prolific exhibitor, venues including theRoyal Academy,theNew English Art Club,Leicester and Redfern Galleries, theRoyal Society of Arts,theRoyal Hibernian Academyand theRoyal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.In 1916 he was granted exemption frommilitary serviceas aconscientious objector,and worked on the land in the General Service section of theFriends' Ambulance Unit.

His first one-man show (1928) was at theRedfern GalleryinCork Street,London. In 1923 he had founded the Emotionist Groupof writers and artists, and his own work is characterised by a painterly exuberance. He joinedThe London Groupof artists in 1931. Dunlop's work is in a number of public galleries, including theTate.

Most of his life was spent in England, latterly atBarnham, West Sussex,close toChichester.He achieved fame in his lifetime, having been elected a full member of theRoyal Academyin 1950, and his work is instantly recognisable, as are the many fakes which have appeared on the market over the past thirty years or so!

Alex Fraser ofVancouverwas Dunlop's dealer in London and again later in Canada once Fraser had emigrated in the 1940s.

Dunlop's mother,Eleanor(née Fitzpatrick) was herself a watercolour artist. His fatherDaniel Nicol Dunlop(1868–1935), was a great friend ofW. B. Yeats,James StephensandGeorge Russell(Æ). Yeats, Russell, and Daniel Nicol Dunlop had together publishedThe Irish Theosophistfrom the home of Eleanor's father, theShakespeareanscholarR. H. Fitzpatrick.

Thus Dunlop grew up surrounded by the seminal figures of theIrish Literary Renaissance,in an atmosphere smacking ofmysticismandSpiritualism.The Dunlop family moved to New York in 1899, then London three years later. From here, they made the annual pilgrimage back to Dublin duringHorse Showweek, with Dunlop's father returning to London clutching two or three more 'Æ' canvasses each time. Dunlop trained in art in London, associating with a group of young artists who exhibited at theHurricane Lamp GalleryinChelsea.In 1928 the group published a journal calledEmotionism:Dunlop supplied a rather vague manifesto ( "Art is the expression of the essence of life" ), a poem, and an illustration of one of his paintings, "The Fish Market". Dunlop soon expanded his exhibiting circle, showing with theNew English Art Cluband later with theRoyal Academyand theRoyal Society of British Artists.He maintained his Irish connections, returning periodically to paint in Dublin and submitting a number of works to theRHAin the 1940s and 1950s.

Frances Spaldingdescribed Dunlop as an 'alla prima' painter of traditional subjects. At some stage he settled inBarnham, West Sussex,and in 1947 or 1948 exhibited atBognor Regis,which led to a connection withBibby(see below).

He generally signed his work "Dunlop" and his correspondence "R O Dunlop", and as a result his given names were not widely known.

Dunlop's paintings can be seen at theCrawford GalleryinCork,at theTate Galleryin London, at theCheltenham Art Gallery & Museumand theNational Portrait Gallery, London.

Books

In addition to painting, Dunlop was a prolific author; his books include:

• Modern Still Life Painting in Oil(London, 1938)
• Understanding Pictures(London, 1948)
• Painting for Pleasure(London, 1951)
• Sketching for Pleasure(London, 1952)
• How to Paint for Pleasure(New York, 1953)
• AncientArundel(London, 1953)
• Landscape Painting:Ma YuantoPicasso(London, 1954)
• Struggling with Paint: Some Reminiscences(London, 1956, autobiography)

External links

• 127 artworks by or after Ronald Ossory Dunlopat theArt UKsite: works by Dunlop in public British collections
• Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections