Henry Perlee Parker

HENRY PERLEE PARKER (England, 1795-1873).
"Drinker and pipe smoker," mid-19th century.
Oil on canvas.
Signed with initials in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 53 x 37 cm; 60 x 44 cm (frame).

The protagonist of the oil on canvas, who presumably is at the door of his house judging by the slippers and the dog resting at the entrance, is inspired by the characters of the Flemish school of the seventeenth century. In his hand he holds a pipe and an empty crystal glass. It is a work derived from naturalism, worked in reduced chromatisms, around earthy, ocher and blue colors.

Specializing in portraits and genre paintings, Henry Perlee Parker initially established himself as a portrait painter in Plymouth. In 1815, he moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, where he became one of the region's best-known artists, noted for his coastal scenes of fishermen and smugglers. In fact, he earned the nickname "Smuggler Parker". He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy and the British Institution in London. He was a central figure in the creation of the Northern Academy for the Arts in Newcastle. He later taught drawing at the Wesleyan Proprietary Grammar School in Sheffield and spent his later years in Hammersmith, London. His work is currently represented at the Tate in London, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Great North Museum in New Castle, among other institutions.