Laura Knight, born in 1877, was an English painter. Over her lengthy career, Knight became one of the most successful artists to have ever come out of Britain, blazing a trail for consequent female artists to follow in the male-dominated art world of the time.
Knight was raised by her single mother in a poor household. For a short time, she was sent to wealthier relatives in France, but after they went bankrupt, she returned to her mother in England. Her mother was an art teacher at the Nottingham School of Art, and this gave Knight a chance to receive an education in the art without paying tuition.
She soon became an art teacher herself and met a promising young student who she would later marry. The couple traveled together around Europe, and some time spent in Cornwall had a profound effect on her technique and subject matter. The landscapes inspired her to come up with her own Plein air technique, and it was here that she discovered her knack for portraiture.
Portraits became what Knight was known for. She used portraits to depict the culture and life going on around her with a huge range of subject matter. During her time, female artists had to abide by different rules compared to their male counterparts. This infuriated Knight and she was vocal about her dissatisfaction. Many of her pieces offer a commentary on her ideas around this.
Throughout her career Knight would seek out the most interesting characters for her paintings. This took her backstage at the ballet theater for decades, traveling with the circus to capture portraits of its performers, and into the lots of racecourses to paint a gypsy family.
During the Second World War, Knight painted mostly historical painters and official portraiture under commission from the crown, before returning to her preferred subject matter once the war was over. She died in 1970.
1. Dressing The Children
‘Dressing the Children’ was created in 1906 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
2. The Beach
‘The Beach’ was created in the year 1909 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
3. Motley
‘Motley’ was created in the year 1912 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
‘Carnaval’ was created in 1920 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
5. A Dark Pool
The Dark Pool is one of the artworks by Laura Knight created in the year 1918 in Impressionism style.
6. The Fair
‘The Fair’ was created in 1919 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
7. Les Sylphides
‘Les Sylphides’ was created in 1922 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
8. Motherhood
‘Motherhood’ was created in 1922 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
9. A Musical Clown
‘A Musical Clown’ was created in 1930 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
10. The Ballet Shoe
‘The Ballet Shoe’ was created in 1932 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.
11. Ballet
‘Ballet’ was created by Laura Knight in the year 1936 in Impressionism style.
12. Young Gypsies
‘Young Gypsies’ was created in 1937 by Laura Knight in Impressionism style.