William Gale (British) Art

William Gale British 1823 - 1909 A Restful Moment signed with artist's monogram WG lower left oil on canvas Unframed: 30.6 by 41cm., 12 by 16¼in. Framed: 52 by 62cm., 20½ by 24½in. William Gale was a talented history and genre oil painter, born in London in 1823. He won many accolades as a student at Royal Academy Schools, and travelled to Italy in 1851 and the Middle East in 1862 and 1867. Due to his many influences , Gale's paintings are in an array of styles including sentimental, biblical, mythological subjects, portraits and orientalist pictures. Examples of his work are held by the Tate, Glasgow City Art Galleries and Museums and Art Gallery of New South Wales. William Gale was one of the many artists who, upon finishing his study at the Royal Academy Schools, set out to explore the east: namely North Africa, Algeria, Palestine and Syria. These remote countries at the crossroads of civilizations captivated his imagination, which he explored through his work. Following in the footsteps of the great Orientalists John Frederic Lewis and Jean Leon Gerome, William Gale evokes the Eastern Woman, the bright colors and delicate textures that can be found in the East. Using pure, rich glazes and extraordinary attention to detail, he renders the luxurious, beautifully embroidered headscarf. Eastern women kindled a curiosity in almost every Orientalist artist...

Oil on canvas, monogrammed lower left and inscribed on reverse Image size: 20 x 24 inches (51 x 61 cm) Original gilt frame Provenance Mrs. Georgina Gale (Artists Widow) Bristol, Bristol Art Gallery, A collection of paintings by William Gale, January 1914, no. 12 Private collection William Gale exhibited a number of charming genre scene's in the Pre-Raphaelite style, of which the present is an exquisite example. This work has a strong nautical theme as suggested by the title. Through the small window at the back of this interior room we glimpse the sea, seemingly calm and peaceful. Despite its appearance, the threat of sea is reminded to us with the poster over the bed inscribed with the phrase 'Man Overboard'. This is cleverly echoed by the toy sail boat that lies at an angle, tipped to one side on the bedcovers. As we examine this image of boy and mother one can also identify a picture mounted on the wall of a man in a sailors uniform...