The painting I would like to review this week is the stunning Edwardian portrait we have recently acquired by the late English artist, Bernard Finegan Gribble.
Having recently exhibited at The Winter Fine Art and Antiques Fair at Olympia, this picture received the majority of attention out of the thirty-five works on our stand. Not a surprise to me, for the first time I caught eyes on it I knew I had just seen something very special and bearing in mind this was when it was in a terrible frame that had nothing to do with its period and definitely was not the original. After trying up to twenty-three different models on it, we found the one that you can’t help feeling was made for this portrait. It compliments it superbly.
As noted in the biographical details (which you can view on my website by clicking here), comparisons can be drawn to Sargent in the way Gribble has captured the pose, and direct gaze, with the more finished painting of the face and the bravura impressionism of the dress. I see elements of the Belgian artist Alfred Stevens in this too.
As well as portraits, Bernard Gribble was known for his marine history paintings, which would include pirates, the pilgrim fathers and every imaginable naval battle throughout history. He was chosen to exhibit these at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Fine Arts and the Paris Salons.
I welcome anyone who wishes to view this picture to drop by our gallery in the West End.
