Henry Perlee Parker

HENRY PERLEE PARKER (England, 1795-1873).
"Fishing Family," 1855.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Inscribed, dated and signed on the back.
Measurements: 70 x 52 cm; 80 x 62 cm (frame).

This portrait represents a family of fishermen resting by their nets after a hard day's work. The painter has conceived the composition in a pyramidal shape, whose summit is topped by the end of the mast of the net. Despite their humble character, the three characters (father, mother and son) have been captured with great dignity, as if they were classic heroes.

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.