The Two Bridges, Venice
ProvenanceP & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd, LondonEdward Seago was born at 13 Christchurch Road, Norwich on 31st March 1910. He was the son of Francis, a coal merchant and Mabel, a governess. At the age of 7 he was diagnosed with a mysterious heart condition which rendered Seago confined to bed for most of his childhood years and which would cause him problems throughout his life. As a result, he had little formal education and past the age of 13 did not attend school. This early period of his life allowed him to draw, which he later referred to as being “spells of sheer delight”. At the age of 14 he won an award from the Royal Drawing Society. Despite initial disapproval from his parents, this proved to be the turning point in deciding his future as an artist.Having learned that the artist Bernard Priestman had moved to Walberswick, Seago wrote to him and Priestman agreed to teach him. At a later date, he also approached Sir Alfred Munnings who helped to dispense practical and technical advice. This was the only formal training he ever received and therefore he was largely self-taught.As a young man he was fascinated by the circus and life of travellers. From the age of 18 to 23, Seago travelled with circuses in Britain and abroad. He wrote three illustrated books about the circus in the 1930s. During this period, he also had his first painting accepted by the Royal Academy for the Summer Exhibition and had his first one man show at the Sporting Gallery in 1933.In December 1939, despite his health problems, he enrolled in the Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant and developed camouflage. In 1944 he was invalided out of the army but was invited by Field Marshall Alexander to paint scenes of the Italian campaign as an unofficial war artist. His war pictures were exhibited in 1946 at the Norwich and Bristol Municipal Galleries. Reproductions of this work were published in book form in “With the allied armies in Italy 1945”. Seago often gave his work to those with whom he served. When he left the army due to ill health, he was awarded the honorary rank of Major.Edward Seago is best known as a landscape artist, inspired by East Anglia, although he also painted seascapes, skyscapes, flowers and portraits. He is considered to be one of the leading British Post-Impressionists and he worked both in oil and watercolour. Seago saw himself as an heir to a long tradition of British landscape painting, artists stretching back to Cotman, Constable & Gainsborough, all of whom were born, like Seago, in East Anglia.He was a keen yachtsman and travelled throughout his life, often sailing in his own yacht, a ketch called Endeavour and later, Capricorn, a more sea-worthy vessel. This boat was his floating studio. Between 1951 and 1967, he made 8 major trips to France. He would sail out of Yarmouth and up the Seine. En route he would stop and paint in Dieppe, Rouen and also the estuary town of Honfleur. In his memoirs, he mentions his first trip there as a moment he would treasure and how “his heart skipped a beat with excitement”.Seago enjoyed aristocratic patronage. Early in his career, he had sought patronage from Lady Evelyn Jones, daughter of the 4th Earl Grey. The politician, industrialist and art connoisseur, Henry Mond, Lord Melchett was a friend and they travelled together to Venice in 1933. Seago was to undertake many painting trips to Venice between the early 1930’s to the final visit in 1960. In the book “Edward Seago, the Landscape Art” 1991 by James Reid, Sotheby’s publications, page 199 is written “Seago particularly liked painting the pointed arches and colonnades characteristic of Venetian architecture”. Seago painted many beautiful views of Venice as can be seen here with “The Two Bridges”. He valued atmosphere and light in all his work, clearly demonstrated in this painting.Seago was close friends with Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood, King George VI’s sister and it was through this acquaintance that he met the rest of the Royal Family. In 1953 he was appointed the official Coronation artist to the Late Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen Mother was a great patron and bought many works which now hang at Balmoral. Seago gave her two paintings a year, on her birthday and for Christmas. The artist stayed at Balmoral during the week of the annual flower show, held at the end of July. He was a regular guest at Sandringham and often painted with Prince Philip. In 1956 -1957, Seago embarked on a world tour with Prince Philip. They visited West Africa, the South Atlantic, the opening of the Olympic games in Melbourne and a tour of Antarctica. Seago developed techniques for the unfamiliar surroundings. An exhibition of these works was held at St James’s Palace in 1957 and are considered some of his best works. Prince Philip, the late HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, is known to have said “His ability to paint faraway places in his Norfolk studio is like a conjuror pulling rabbits out of a hat”. Seago clearly had the ability to train his memory to recall significant details of any scene and was able to paint rapidly. He taught King Charles III to paint, who said that Seago had told him that he used to paint his Norfolk paintings in Sardinia and his Sardinian or Venetian scenes in Norfolk, demonstrating a great adaptability. Seago stopped in Singapore and went to Hong Kong in 1962 where he had been commissioned to produce some local views for the boardroom of John Swire & Sons Ltd, the Far-Eastern shipping and trading house.In 1945 Seago began an important relationship with P & D Colnaghi Galleries, London and in 1950 with the Laing Galleries, Toronto. This painting of “The Two Bridges, Venice” is known to have been exhibited with the Colnaghi Gallery who acted as the artist’s agent from 1946 to 1967 and hosted annual exhibitions in their galleries on Old Bond Street. These exhibitions were so popular that visitors had to queue up outside and collectors were limited to one painting per person. At the last exhibition in 1967 held at Colnaghi, demand for his work by this time was so great, that buyers queued all night to be the first through the door. Colnaghi staged the largest ever retrospective exhibition in 2008 entitled “the Artist’s Artist”. Many paintings were loaned by the late Duke of Edinburgh and the Norwich Museum & Art Gallery.From 1946 he was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and from 1959, the Royal Watercolour Society. His work is represented in many major private collections, particularly The Late Duke of Edinburgh, his son King Charles and notably at the Norwich Museum & Art Gallery.Edward Seago died in London on 19th January 1974 of a brain tumour. He was sixty-four years old. In his will he requested that one third of his paintings in his Norwich studio, at the time of his death, were to be destroyed. There remains about 19,000 watercolours and 300 oil paintings worldwide. The Portland Gallery represents Seago’s estate and have had several exhibitions of his work since his death.){kind=link}
Oil on Board
Signed
30.5 x 41 cms (12 x 16 ins)
Provenance
P & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd, London
Edward Seago was born at 13 Christchurch Road, Norwich on 31st March 1910. He was the son of Francis, a coal merchant and Mabel, a governess. At the age of 7 he was diagnosed with a mysterious heart condition which rendered Seago confined to bed for most of his childhood years and which would cause him problems throughout his life. As a result, he had little formal education and past the age of 13 did not attend school. This early period of his life allowed him to draw, which he later referred to as being “spells of sheer delight”. At the age of 14 he won an award from the Royal Drawing Society. Despite initial disapproval from his parents, this proved to be the turning point in deciding his future as an artist.
Having learned that the artist Bernard Priestman had moved to Walberswick, Seago wrote to him and Priestman agreed to teach him. At a later date, he also approached Sir Alfred Munnings who helped to dispense practical and technical advice. This was the only formal training he ever received and therefore he was largely self-taught.
As a young man he was fascinated by the circus and life of travellers. From the age of 18 to 23, Seago travelled with circuses in Britain and abroad. He wrote three illustrated books about the circus in the 1930s. During this period, he also had his first painting accepted by the Royal Academy for the Summer Exhibition and had his first one man show at the Sporting Gallery in 1933.
In December 1939, despite his health problems, he enrolled in the Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant and developed camouflage. In 1944 he was invalided out of the army but was invited by Field Marshall Alexander to paint scenes of the Italian campaign as an unofficial war artist. His war pictures were exhibited in 1946 at the Norwich and Bristol Municipal Galleries. Reproductions of this work were published in book form in “With the allied armies in Italy 1945”. Seago often gave his work to those with whom he served. When he left the army due to ill health, he was awarded the honorary rank of Major.
Edward Seago is best known as a landscape artist, inspired by East Anglia, although he also painted seascapes, skyscapes, flowers and portraits. He is considered to be one of the leading British Post-Impressionists and he worked both in oil and watercolour. Seago saw himself as an heir to a long tradition of British landscape painting, artists stretching back to Cotman, Constable & Gainsborough, all of whom were born, like Seago, in East Anglia.
He was a keen yachtsman and travelled throughout his life, often sailing in his own yacht, a ketch called Endeavour and later, Capricorn, a more sea-worthy vessel. This boat was his floating studio. Between 1951 and 1967, he made 8 major trips to France. He would sail out of Yarmouth and up the Seine. En route he would stop and paint in Dieppe, Rouen and also the estuary town of Honfleur. In his memoirs, he mentions his first trip there as a moment he would treasure and how “his heart skipped a beat with excitement”.
Seago enjoyed aristocratic patronage. Early in his career, he had sought patronage from Lady Evelyn Jones, daughter of the 4th Earl Grey. The politician, industrialist and art connoisseur, Henry Mond, Lord Melchett was a friend and they travelled together to Venice in 1933. Seago was to undertake many painting trips to Venice between the early 1930’s to the final visit in 1960. In the book “Edward Seago, the Landscape Art” 1991 by James Reid, Sotheby’s publications, page 199 is written “Seago particularly liked painting the pointed arches and colonnades characteristic of Venetian architecture”. Seago painted many beautiful views of Venice as can be seen here with “The Two Bridges”. He valued atmosphere and light in all his work, clearly demonstrated in this painting.
Seago was close friends with Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood, King George VI’s sister and it was through this acquaintance that he met the rest of the Royal Family. In 1953 he was appointed the official Coronation artist to the Late Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen Mother was a great patron and bought many works which now hang at Balmoral. Seago gave her two paintings a year, on her birthday and for Christmas. The artist stayed at Balmoral during the week of the annual flower show, held at the end of July. He was a regular guest at Sandringham and often painted with Prince Philip. In 1956 -1957, Seago embarked on a world tour with Prince Philip. They visited West Africa, the South Atlantic, the opening of the Olympic games in Melbourne and a tour of Antarctica. Seago developed techniques for the unfamiliar surroundings. An exhibition of these works was held at St James’s Palace in 1957 and are considered some of his best works. Prince Philip, the late HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, is known to have said “His ability to paint faraway places in his Norfolk studio is like a conjuror pulling rabbits out of a hat”. Seago clearly had the ability to train his memory to recall significant details of any scene and was able to paint rapidly. He taught King Charles III to paint, who said that Seago had told him that he used to paint his Norfolk paintings in Sardinia and his Sardinian or Venetian scenes in Norfolk, demonstrating a great adaptability.
Seago stopped in Singapore and went to Hong Kong in 1962 where he had been commissioned to produce some local views for the boardroom of John Swire & Sons Ltd, the Far-Eastern shipping and trading house.
In 1945 Seago began an important relationship with P & D Colnaghi Galleries, London and in 1950 with the Laing Galleries, Toronto. This painting of “The Two Bridges, Venice” is known to have been exhibited with the Colnaghi Gallery who acted as the artist’s agent from 1946 to 1967 and hosted annual exhibitions in their galleries on Old Bond Street. These exhibitions were so popular that visitors had to queue up outside and collectors were limited to one painting per person. At the last exhibition in 1967 held at Colnaghi, demand for his work by this time was so great, that buyers queued all night to be the first through the door. Colnaghi staged the largest ever retrospective exhibition in 2008 entitled “the Artist’s Artist”. Many paintings were loaned by the late Duke of Edinburgh and the Norwich Museum & Art Gallery.
From 1946 he was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and from 1959, the Royal Watercolour Society. His work is represented in many major private collections, particularly The Late Duke of Edinburgh, his son King Charles and notably at the Norwich Museum & Art Gallery.
Edward Seago died in London on 19th January 1974 of a brain tumour. He was sixty-four years old. In his will he requested that one third of his paintings in his Norwich studio, at the time of his death, were to be destroyed. There remains about 19,000 watercolours and 300 oil paintings worldwide. The Portland Gallery represents Seago’s estate and have had several exhibitions of his work since his death.