The Forgotten Art UK

One of the pictorial subjects that many British people love is horses, and especially thoroughbreds. Without doubt, the best artist in this field was Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959), President of the Royal Academy.  Nowadays it would be difficult to acquire one of his artworks if it is not by offering a high bid in an auction house. Yet it is possible to find paintings of horses by other artists at markets such as the one in Portobello Road. In one of my searches on Friday I found a small watercolor signed by a British artist named  Janet Apps. Although untitled, the painting could be labelled "Two horses behind a fence", and is an original watercolour on paper signed by the artist (c.1972).  I acquired this artwork at a stall in Golborne on June 5, a few days before Royal Ascot 2020. On the back panel of the frame I found a personal dedication signed by the artist herself: "Many Thanks for your care and attention. Janet Apps".   There is little information ab...

If there is something that has always characterised the British it is their passion for travelling.  In the past, British travellers even modelled with their writings the vision that many others would have of the countries they visited, including Spain, and some of those stereotypes remain even today.  That passion for travelling around the world means that, occasionally, artworks from other distant cultures arrive at Portobello Road Market.  I found some of those 'travelling paintings', one of them on January 4, 2020.  It was a copy of a Mughal court miniature painting. It was handmade in opaque watercolour applied to the sheet of an antique manuscript. The size of the painting is 110 x 170 mm (paper 137 x 215 mm). The manuscript leaf itself bears no relation to the scene depicted, and it is quite old, dating from the 18th or 19th century, and probably written in India, the country of origin of this artwork.  Although the sheet of paper may be somewhat aged, th...

Like the previous watercolour, "On the Ardle, Perthshire" is another painting that could perfectly well hang on a museum wall.  The technical perfection with which this landscape was executed suggests the hand of a professional painter with great artistic background. We could label the style of this watercolour on paper as "British Impressionism". I found this artwork on July 10, 2020. The frame of the picture was broken, and I feared that the damp might have damaged the artwork, but inside the frame the painting was intact. The dimensions of the painting are 40 x 30 cm. The mysterious artist, author of this painting, depicts a stretch of the River Ardle, a tributary of the River Ericht that runs for 10 miles through Strathardle in Perthshire, Scotland. Perth had also been part of the so-called Tour of Scotland, which in the 18th century was practically obligatory for painters. The artists' itinerary in the Highlands included Loch Lomond and Inveraray in the sou...

The 13th of March 2020 was practically the last Friday market before the lockdown. At least it was the last day I was able to visit it. And I found one of the artworks I like most in my collection, an original watercolour on paper placed on cardboard by a well-known artist, Will Anderson (fl. 1880-1895), showing a rural scene in a green and pleasant England.  On Fridays I used to chat with the owner of this stall at Portobello Road Market. He used to show me his pictures, rescued from storage rooms. In his youth he had lived in Antequera, like so many other English people. That Friday was the last time I saw him. I hope he is well. The dimensions of this painting are 522 x 168 mm (cardboard 530 x 185 mm, gilt mount 677 x 324 mm). The title and artist's name were handwritten in ink on a gilt mounting: "A Farm Pond near Farnham. By Will Anderson". The same details were inscribed on the reverse in pencil. The watercolour was signed at the bottom left with the characteristic ...