Arthur Ellis

Sold by Big Sky Fine Art; this original oil painting by Arthur Ellis, dating from around the turn of the century.<br> The painting is presented and supplied in an early 20th century frame. <br> Previously with Atelier Limited, Jersey, Channel Islands.<br> <br> Arthur Ellis was a genre and landscape artist, born in Holloway, London on 1st September 1856. He began a career in business but turned to painting as a profession. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1882 and in Paris from 1886. He enjoyed considerable success and exhibited at the principal London galleries from 1874, including the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours and the Royal Society of Arts. <br> <br> He married Lydia Louise and lived in London most of his life, but lived for a time in Seaford in Sussex. He died on 4th April 1918.<br> <br> This atmospheric oil in canvas depicts the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park, London, probably at the end of the nineteenth century. This historic building marks Greenwich Mean Time, the Prime Meridian of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II. There is an autumn mist over the building, through which we see the dome and towers, and the time balls on the spires. There are numerous large trees, and in the foreground two figures with a horse and cart, a second horse and some wild deer. There are fallen leaves on the ground. The palette is rich and mellow.