Robin Tanner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robin Tanner (Wiltshire, 1904-1988) was an English artist and printmaker. He followed in the visionary tradition of Samuel Palmer and English neo-romanticism. He lived in London, Wiltshire, and Bath.
His etchings began in the early 1920s, when he undertook night-school classes at Goldsmiths' Art College in London. He had been inspired by seeing the major Samuel Palmer exhibition in London, and by the passion for Palmer's Shoreham works among fellow students such as Paul Drury, William Larkins and Graham Sutherland.
Tanner was thus part of the etching revival in England, but the market for etchings was largely destroyed by the great economic depression that began in 1929, and by the growing trend towards the use of photography for magazine illustrations. Thus, Tanner turned to teaching to earn his main income. Tanner became a noted teacher of art. His passion for teaching fine art to young children was infused into many English counties through his role as Inspector of Schools from 1935-1964. He also had a sideline in topographical graphic book illustration, and published a number of books on printmaking aimed at children.
His later work, such as Woodland Plants, shows the influence of William Morris.
His etching plates are now held at the Ashmolean Museum.
[edit] Retrospectives
- Ashmolean Museum of Art, London, 1981. "Robin Tanner".
- The Fine Art Society, London, 2004. "Visions of Landscape: Samuel Palmer & Robin Tanner".
[edit] Further reading
- Robin Garton (1988). Robin Tanner: The Etchings. ISBN 0-906030-21-8
