John Edward Bale

JOHN EDWARD BALE (Norfolk, 1834 - Colchester, 1913)
"Harbour scene with sailing ships".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
It has slight craquelure.
With damage to the frame.
Measurements: 29 × 40 cm., 49 × 59 cm (frame)

Seafaring composition centered on a sailboat in the foreground that acts as visual axis of the scene, around which is organized a lively set of boats distributed in different planes. Bale builds depth by means of a skillful atmospheric gradation, progressively blurring the urban landscape in the background.

John Edward Bale was a British painter and military man. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in the 1850s with architectural views of churches in Norfolk, and later participated in the Ipswich Fine Art Club (1886-1890), where he presented works such as View from Museum Street, Colchester and In St John's Street, Colchester. He combined his artistic activity with a military career in the West India Regiment, reaching the rank of major, and produced illustrations for the Illustrated London News during his postings abroad.