This painting is by James Fry, an artist who lived and painted in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset from 1954 until his death in 1985. It was painted using oils on hardboard. The exact date of the painting and the location of depicted coastline are unknown. Do you recognise it?
The museum holds a total of five paintings by Fry. Like Seascape, Rocky Shoreline, most of the paintings depict coastal scenes, but one portrays the River Frome near Holmebridge, Wareham. Fry was fascinated by the interplay of sunlight on the sea, the crashing of waves on rocks, by the sunsets, sunrises, and reflections on the water.
Born in Hertfordshire, Fry studied at the Watford School of Art. After leaving art college, he worked as a colour retoucher for the magazine Picture Post. In 1938, he married Ivy Gregory, who had also trained as an artist.
During the war, Fry was a conscientious objector and worked in forestry with Italian and German prisoners of war. After the war, he worked for Liberty’s designing ties, but found he found that he did not have enough time for his own art, despite regularly exhibiting in the Pastel Society’s annual exhibition. He and Ivy decided to move to Dorset and settled in Corfe Castle in 1954, where they spent the next 30 years.
Fry was determined to earn a living from his painting. Neither he nor Ivy drove a car, so they went everywhere on foot, bicycle, or by public transport. Fry cycled around the Purbeck area to paint scenes of heathland, cliffs and sea. He painted on hardboard because it was easier to carry on a bicycle than a canvas. The couple lived frugally and were committed to being as self-sufficient as possible. They were vegetarians and grew as many vegetables as they could using organic methods.
Fry was virtually unknown outside of the Purbeck art circle and did not exhibit his artwork. Instead he, preferred patrons to visit his studio, which was located at his home.
“For me, the coast gives rise to a sense of stillness inside and I was immediately drawn into the raw simplicity of this James Fry seascape and held there, for a moment, deep beneath the ocean, under the waves. Silence around me. Silence within me.”
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