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John Atkinson Grimshaw wasborn in
1836-1893. Born the son of an ex-policeman, Grimshaw first began painting
while working as a clerk for the
Great Northern Railway. He encountered bitter opposition from his parents,
but after his marriage in 1858 to Theodosia Hobbarde, a cousin of T
.S. Cooper, he was able to devote himself to painting. By 1870, he was
successful enough to rent Knostrop Old Hall, a 17th century mansion near
Temple Newsam, which features in many of his pictures. Later in the 70s,
he built a house near Scarborough, and in the 80s rented a studio in
Chelsea. Grimshaw painted mostly for private patrons, and exhibited only 5
works at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1886, and one at the
Grosvenor Gallery. The towns and docks that he painted most frequently
were Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds's, Scarborough, Whitby and London.
He was interested in photography, and sometimes used a camera obscure to
project outlines on to canvas, enabling him to repeat compositions
several times. He also mixed sand and other ingredients with his paint to
get the effects he wanted. Although his moonlit town views are his most
popular works, he also painted landscapes, portraits, interiors, fairy
pictures and neo-classical subjects. During his early period he signed "J.A.
Grimshaw" but c.1867 dropped the John, and signed himself Atkinson
Grimshaw. He usually signed his pictures on the front and the reverse,
inscribed with the title. Two of his sons, Arthur and Louis, were also
painters
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