George Fiddes Watt (15 February 1873 – 22 November 1960) was a Scottish portrait painter and engraver.
George Fiddes Watt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 February 1873 |
| Died | 22 November 1960 Aberdeen |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | Gray's School of Art Royal Scottish Academy |
| Known for | Portrait painting, engraving |
| Notable work | H.H. Asquith, A.J. Balfour... |
| Elected | Royal Society of Arts |
Biography edit
Watt studied art at Gray's School of Art, Edinburgh and the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.[1] He was elected to the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in 1924 and received an honorary LL.D. degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1955.[1][2]
Watt was sculpted by Henry Snell Gamley in 1912, Watt's son Albert having been sculpted by Gamley four years previously.[3] A bronze statue of Watt by Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones, made in 1942, is in Aberdeen.[4]
Works edit
Watt's large output includes paintings of many famous people of his time in Britain.[2] An exception among the many portraits is a landscape, J. P. Inverarity Mauled by a Lioness, Somaliland .[5]
Portraits edit
- Lawyers
- Divines
- Scientists
- Politicians
- H.H. Asquith[2]
- A.J. Balfour (National Portrait Gallery)[2][6]
- Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon[7]
- Sir William Slater Brown, Lord Provost of Edinburgh[8]
- Academics
Mezzotint engravings edit
Collections and exhibitions edit
Watt's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1906 to 1930. His portrait of his mother is in the Tate Gallery's collection.[1]
Family edit
His third son, Alexander Stuart Watt (1909–1967) was a journalist based in Paris. Alastair Fiddes Watt (b. 1954) is also a landscape painter.[2]
References edit
Bibliography edit
- Chamot, Mary; Farr, Dennis; Butlin, Martin. The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, London 1964, II.
- Sutherland, D.M. (2004–2011). "Fiddes Watt, Index no 101036779". Watt, (George) Fiddes (1873–1960), portrait painter. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 6 October 2012.