Elizabeth Forbes

Early Life and Education

• Born: Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1859)
• Died: 1912
• Elizabeth Adela Forbes was the youngest child of William Armstrong, a government employee.
• She received private education in Canada before studying art in England with her mother as chaperone.
• Studied at the South Kensington Art School (now Royal College of Art) in London.
• In the early 1880s, she studied with J. Frank Currier and Frank Duveneck in Munich.

Artistic Development and Influences

• Early Style: Initially influenced by traditional academic painting.
• Brittany Period (1882): Explored plein air painting at Pont-Aven, Brittany, which significantly impacted her style.
• Key Influences:
  • James Abbott McNeill Whistler – Particularly evident in her etchings.
  • Walter Sickert – Contributed to her realist approach.
  • French Realism - Shaped her depictions of daily life and rural scenes.
• Mediums: Worked primarily with oil, watercolour, pastels, and etching.
• Subject Matter: Frequently featured children, landscapes, and fishing scenes.

The Newlyn School and Notable Works

• Move to Cornwall (1885): Established a studio in Newlyn, Cornwall, becoming a prominent figure in the Newlyn Art Colony.
• Newlyn School: Associated with the Newlyn School of artists known for their realistic depictions of Cornish life and working-class people.
• Marriage to Stanhope Forbes (1889): Married fellow artist Stanhope Alexander Forbes, further solidifying her connection to the Newlyn art scene.
• Newlyn Art School: In 1899, she and her husband founded the Newlyn Art School, contributing significantly to artistic education in Cornwall.
• Notable Works:
  • School is Out (one of her most popular works)
  • Blackberry Gathering (1912)
  • A Newlyn Maid
  • Volendam, Holland, from the Zuidende (1895)
  • Zandvoort Fishergirl

Achievements and Recognition

• Paris International Exhibition (1891): Won a medal.
• World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago (1893): Received a gold medal for an oil painting.
• Exhibitions: Participated in over 63 exhibitions in London between 1893 and 1899.
• Reputation: Dubbed "the Queen of Newlyn" due to her significant contributions to the art colony.
• Collections: Her paintings are held in collections of museums in Canada, the United States, and England.

Historical Significance

• Victorian Genre Painting: Forbes’ work exemplifies Victorian genre painting, capturing scenes of everyday life with realism and attention to detail.
• Newlyn School Legacy: She played a crucial role in establishing the Newlyn School as a significant artistic movement in Britain.
• Female Artist in a Male-Dominated Field: Forbes achieved considerable success as a female artist during a time when women faced numerous barriers in the art world.
• Art Education: Her involvement with the Newlyn Art School helped nurture and develop the talents of aspiring artists.