Laura Knight: Five Paintings That Capture the Quotidian
Laura Knight, born in 1877 and passing in 1970, began her artistic journey at just 13 when she joined the Nottingham School of Art. She made history by being the first woman to become a Royal Academician in over two centuries. In 1927, she earned the title of Associate of the Royal Academy and took on the role of president for the Society of Women Artists in 1932. Throughout her impressive 70-year career, her work often highlighted modern women and everyday experiences. Some of her key pieces are Self-Portrait with Nude (1913), The Cornish Coast (1917), The Ballet Girl and the Dressmaker (1930), Circus Matinee (1938), and Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech-Ring (1943). In 1965, she commented on how female artists were often seen as 'freaks.'
Key facts
- Laura Knight (1877–1970) was admitted to Nottingham School of Art at age 13.
- She became the first woman elected as a Royal Academician since the 18th century.
- In 1927 she became an Associate of the Royal Academy; in 1932 she was elected president of the Society of Women Artists.
- Self-Portrait with Nude (1913) depicts Knight painting her friend Ella Naper and was criticized by the Telegraph as 'something dangerously close to vulgar.'
- The Cornish Coast (1917) reflects Knight's life in Cornwall from 1908 and often features women without men, as most men were fighting in World War I by 1917.
- The Ballet Girl and the Dressmaker (1930) shows a backstage scene with the Ballets Russes.
- Circus Matinee (1938) was inspired by Knight's four-month tour with Mills' Circus.
- Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech-Ring (1943) was painted after Knight observed a Welsh munitions worker; she was commissioned by Sir Kenneth Clark in 1939 and later sketched the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.
Entities
Artists
- Laura Knight
- Ella Naper
- Samuel John Lamorna Birch
- Alfred Munnings
- Caspar David Friedrich
- Honoré Daumier
- Sir Kenneth Clark
- Ruby Loftus
Institutions
- Nottingham School of Art
- Royal Academy
- Society of Women Artists
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Museum Cardiff
- Ballets Russes
- Perth Art Gallery
- Mills' Circus
- Imperial War Museum
- War Artists Advisory Committee
- Auxiliary Air Service
- Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
- Manchester Art Gallery
- Tate
- Telegraph
Locations
- Nottingham
- United Kingdom
- London
- Cornwall
- Cardiff
- Perth
- Nuremberg
- Germany