Newlyn school

The Newlyn School was a group of artists who settled in the fishing village of Newlyn and neighbouring towns of Cornwall in the late nineteenth century and whose art is marked by the influence of plein-air painting and realism. The artists were drawn to Newlyn by the soft coastal light, the inexpensive living, the picturesque scenery of the shore and the opportunity to work in the open air, depicting the everyday life of the fishing community. The leading figure of the school was Stanhope Forbes, sometimes called its father; the circle also included Walter Langley, Frank Bramley, Elizabeth Forbes and others. The artists followed the method of the French painter Jules Bastien-Lepage, working out of doors and paying particular attention to the truthful rendering of natural light and atmosphere. Their paintings depicted scenes of the labour and daily life of fishermen, dramatic episodes of maritime life such as the waiting for boats or a leave-taking, and often carried a distinct social and emotional charge. In 1895 an art gallery opened in Newlyn, attesting to the importance of the colony. The Newlyn School became one of the best-known British art colonies and made a notable contribution to the development of realist plein-air painting in Britain.