Dame LAURA KNIGHT

Arts, Painting

1877 - 1970

Suggested by Maisy-Sky Lumbers

“Dame Laura Knight was popular with fellow artists and the public alike. Her achievements included being the first woman ever elected as an RA in 1936, being selected as a War Artist, famously documenting the Nuremburg Trials, and she was made a Dame in 1929 for her services to art.

Laura Knight was an unconventional, inspirational, and influential artist who succeeded in a male-dominated art world. She was one of the most successful painters in Britain during her lifetime, paving the way for other women to gain greater recognition in the future. Laura Knight’s resilience and success serve as a source of inspiration for all.

In 1907, the Knights came to Cornwall, at first taking lodgings in Newlyn and later moving to Lamorna where they became central figures in the growing artists’ colony. Laura specialised in combining landscapes and figures, painting nude models out of doors which caused some controversy among the local population, but her charming and lively personality overcame most resistance.

Over her long career, Knight painted scenes in Cornwall, Yorkshire and Worcestershire. She became fascinated by performers, especially in the circus, and developed a talent for capturing the extraordinary within the everyday. Laura Knight’s career spanned 80 years and encompassed a huge variety of subjects, techniques and styles.”

penleehouse.org.uk
hypatia-trust.org.uk
womenincornwall.org