Veronica Burleigh (1909-1999)
| Artist Name | Veronica Burleigh (1909-1999) |
|---|---|
| Title | Interior of Brighton Railway Works 1950 |
| Description | This historically interesting British 1950's industrial interior oil painting is by noted female artist Veronica Burleigh. Burleigh grew up in Hove with artist parents Charles and Averil Burleigh. Their house was purpose built by them for artists, with a glass roofed loft and big windows in all the rooms as painting took place all over the house. The location for this painting is the Brighton Railway Works near by and it was painted in 1950, twelve years before its closure in 1962. The reason for Burleigh's interest in the Works is unknown, but she has perfectly captured the iron interior, huge windows and a carriage amongst the equipment. A lone worker, standing in the giant doorway, helps to give perspective and lets the viewer realise just how enormous the building is. The palette is of greys/blues/browns with a zing of bright green and orange. It is a well executed industrial interior oil painting by a talented female artist and captures the Brighton Railway works in its hay day. Brighton railway works (also known as Brighton locomotive works, or just the Brighton works) was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England. Signed lower left. Pencil inscribed title to verso. |
| Provenance | London estate. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 20 x 16 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a complementary frame, 27 inches by 23 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Veronica Burleigh (1909-1999), landscape, figure and portrait painter. The daughter of well-known Brighton and Hove based artists Averill and Charles Burleigh. She won a scholarship and studied at the Slade School of Art 1927-30 under Henry Tonks and became an accomplished portrait painter. She mainly produced portraits until 1970 when she moved to the country, living in Henfield, Sussex. For 20 years she commuted annually to Rhodesia, where she held a succession of 23 one-man shows. The Prime Minister of Rhodesia Ian Smith was among her sitters. Charles, her father, died in 1956 aged 87 outliving his wife Averil who had a fatal heart attack in 1949 aged 66. The glamorous Veronica, who loved fast cars and gardening, never married but, after an adventurous life, returned to Sussex where she died in 1998 at the age of 89. Exhibitions Include: New English Art Club; Royal Academy; Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour; Royal Institute of Oil Painters; Society of Women Artists. |
| Price | £4800 |
