SPANNING 60 of the most vital years in the history of art in this part of the world, Artists in Newlyn and West Cornwall 1880-1940 is a veritable treasure chest of information, facts and figures, regarding the artists who - as Stanhope Forbes was to say - fairly flocked into Newlyn soon after he arrived there in the early 1880s.
Edited by Melissa Hardie, founder-director of the Hypatia Trust, she not only knows about the art of editing but also about the artists of the period. We are unlikely to see another art dictionary and source book as magnificent as this for a good while.
In her informative introduction she says the aim of the book is to find answers to a number of questions such as: 'Who were the artists who visited, worked and lived in Newlyn, Lamorna and the rest of West Cornwall?'
Astonishment
The author expresses her astonishment at the discovery of the large number of established and well-documented artists who connected to Cornwall and demonstrated that connection in their work, with little or no recognition of this in the usual sources. She must be hoping that the appearance of her book will stimulate some of its readers to look through their archives and attics, for relevant material.
There are so many mouth-watering valuables to the art lover here between its covers, it is difficult to know where to begin. Perhaps the answer to yet another question: 'Who originally composed the Newlyn School?' is as good a place as any. It lists 15 names, in the order in which they came to Newlyn, from Edwin Harris to Norman Garstin, while claiming 'it was Birmingham that first discovered Newlyn'.
The research the author must have done to produce such a tome makes it a labour of love; one which fully justifies its claim of being an indispensable resource for collectors, curators and dealers and of providing invaluable insights into the artistic life of the times. It is also immensely readable, and rewarding.
Artists in Newlyn and West Cornwall 1880-1940 edited by Melissa Hardie, is published by Sansom & Company at £49.50.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN