William John Leech (1881 - 1968) Ireland
Oil on Board
Measure 11"in H x 14 1/2"in W and 19"in H x 23"in W with frame

Known for: Portrait, landscape, harbor and still life painting
Biography: William Leech was an Irish painter and illustrator whose works featured a wide range of outdoor and indoor subjects, including coastal and harbour scenes, landscapes, interiors, still life and portraits. Leech is noted as a strong colourist and was influenced by both the Impressionists* (such as Monet and Cezanne), and Post-Impressionist* painters (like Matisse and Van Gogh). Born in Dublin, William John Leech absorbed drawing and fine art painting at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art before transferring to the Royal Hibernian Academy* where he studied under the Irish Impressionist landscape painter Walter Osborne. In 1903, he left Dublin to paint in Paris and became inspired by the French countryside. During their time in Brittany, they studied and absorbed the methods of Impressionism, and their paintings show signs of Van Gogh and Matisse. In Leech's case, however, other more conservative influences were at work including those of William Orpen and Norman Garstin, and his later English paintings are similar to works by contemporary British painters, such as Gerald Kelly and William Nicholson. In Leech's landscape painting the Railway Embankment (c. 1938), the scene is devoid of people, animals, and train, yet the impression of movement and speed is vividly conveyed. The railway track, which runs diagonally across the composition, establishes a strong perspective which is reinforced by the parallel lines of the telegraph wires receding into the distance. In contrast, the rambling fence on the left of the track takes its course from the lie of the land, thus lending the scene a traditional rustic dimension. See also how the sunlight softens the dark imagery of the artificial rail-road which carves its irresistible way through the countryside. In addition to his trips to Brittany, Leech traveled throughout Europe and eventually settled in England. He died in 1968 at the age of 87.

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