Posts in Category: december 26
George Romney
George Romney, December 26, 1734–November 15, 1802, was an English painter best known for portraits. Born at Beckside near Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, he was apprenticed to the portrait painter Christopher Steele in Kendal before moving to London in 1762.
Romney won early recognition from the Society of Arts and studied in Italy from 1773 to 1775. After returning to London, he became one of the leading portraitists of his generation; Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton, was his most celebrated model.
Although he was a contemporary and rival of Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, Romney never joined the Royal Academy. Ill health led him back to Kendal in 1799, where his wife Mary cared for him until his death in 1802.
Maurice Utrillo
Maurice Utrillo was born Maurice Valadon in Montmartre, Paris, on December 26, 1883. He was the son of the painter and former artist’s model Suzanne Valadon; the Spanish artist and writer Miquel Utrillo legally acknowledged him in 1891. Largely self-taught, Utrillo began painting with encouragement and instruction from his mother.
Utrillo specialized in views of Montmartre and the suburbs of Paris, depicting streets, churches, cafés, and modest buildings with an atmosphere of solitude and melancholy. His celebrated “white period,” approximately 1909–1914, is distinguished by pale colors and heavily textured surfaces. He often worked from postcards and memory as well as direct observation.
Utrillo achieved international recognition during the 1920s and received the Cross of the Légion d’honneur in 1928. He married the painter Lucie Valore in 1935 and settled at Le Vésinet. He died in Dax on November 5, 1955, and was buried in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre.
