Thomas Roland Rathmell
English ( b.1912 - d.1990 )
The Sofa, 1962
| Image size | 15.4 inches x 19.5 inches ( 39cm x 49.5cm ) |
| Frame size | 21.7 inches x 25.8 inches ( 55cm x 65.5cm ) |
£1,295.00
Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art is this original oil painting by Thomas Rathmell dating from 1962.
The painting is presented and supplied in its original wooden frame (which is shown in these photographs).
The frame’s natural patina and paint colouration are pleasing genuine and so typical of the vintage decorative 1960s era, we have chosen not to attempt to improve on this natural aesthetic.
This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age and is being supplied in an untouched condition. It is ready to hang and display. Provenance: Previously with the Howard Roberts Gallery, Imperial Buildings, 69/74 St Mary Street, Cardiff. Entry no.44 in the Spring Exhibition of April 1962.
Thomas Rathmell was an English artist and teacher, who was particularly notable for his portraits and figure compositions. He was born in Wallasey, Cheshire in 1912 to Welsh parents. He lived in London and painted impressionistic portraits in the 1920s, then studied at the Liverpool School of Art and the Royal College of Art 1933-36. In 1939 he was living in London and designing posters for London Transport. During the Second World War Rathmell worked in industrial and naval camouflage for the Ministry of Home Security and Admiralty Camouflage Department 1940-45.
After the War Rathmell lived for a while in Leamington Spa, then moved to Wales in 1947.
He taught at the Newport College of Art as Head of Fine Arts and then as Vice-Chancellor, from 1949-72. Here he influenced such well-known artists as John Selway. In 1963 he won the Leverhulme Trust Bursary. After he retired he moved to Caerleon, Gwent.
Rathmell toured south Wales with a one-man show in 1956 and had a series of exhibitions at the Howard Roberts Gallery from 1956. There was a major retrospective of his work in 1982. He took part in numerous mixed shows from 1940 onwards, including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions.
He had numerous significant commissions, including some for the Radio Times, and various schools and universities. In 1969 the Welsh Office commissioned a painting to commemorate the Investiture of the Prince of Wales, and in 1978 he produced a large mural for the Welsh Rugby Union.
Rathmell was much respected as both a teacher and an artist and was a member of the Welsh Group, the Watercolour Society of Wales and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters,
Today his work is represented in the Witt Library at the Courtauld Institute, Aberystwyth University, the University of South Wales, the National Library of Wales, and public galleries in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.
© Big Sky Fine Art
This original oil on canvas painting by Thomas Rathmell depicts a young woman reclining on a sofa reading from a paper. She is wearing a white sleeveless top and a dark coloured skirt. Her legs are curled up on the sofa and she seems to be absorbed in her reading. The sofa is a warm pink/orange colour, and the overall palette is of warm similar tones. The mood is relaxed and elegant.
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The Sofa, 1962 - Rathmell, Thomas Roland