The Friesian Bull by Sir Alfred Jones Munnings (1878-1959)
Oil on canvas 95.3 x 129cm (1920-21)
Accession Number LL3915
The new and immensely expensive black and white Friesian bulls that
were changing the face of English dairy farming in the early 20th-century
fascinated Sir Alfred Jones Munnings. He actually witnessed this scene
while visiting a friend's Devonshire farm and found it pictorially irresistible.
His free and rapid technique captures the enormous bulk and power of the
animal, which he skilfully contrasts with its apparent placidity as the
herdsman leads it out.
Munnings was probably the most distinguished British painter of animals
and rural landscapes of the 20th-century. He was from an old
East Anglian farming family, and his love of country life is clear in
his many paintings.
Munnings showed artistic aptitude from an early age. A freak accident
when he was 20 led to the loss of his eye but this did not hinder his
artistic development. In 1898, while still an apprentice lithographer,
he had his painting 'Stranded' hung at the Royal Academy. In 1918 he was
sent to France as an official war artist, and later around 45 of his pieces
were exhibited at the Canadian War Records Exhibition at the Royal Academy.
This brought him attention and a flow of commissions that guaranteed his
success and wealth. In 1945 he became President of the Royal Academy and
was knighted the same year.
Learn
more about Sir Alfred Munnings by visiting the website of Castle House,
an art museum dedicated to his works.
An extended
study of 'The Friesan Bull' is also available online as part of our
Artwork of the Month series.
Animals online exhibition |
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