A lovely pair of landscape paintings of Christchurch and Liss in Hampshire by Robert Gallon. The first depicts fishing boats near Christchurch at dusk. A boat can be seen making its way towards the shore as gulls fly across the water. During the 19th century, Christchurch was originally part of the historic county of Hampshire. The second shows a figure with a horse and cart gathering sand from a sandpit bed at Liss in Hampshire. In the distance, other figures can be seen walking along up a lane away from a church.

Robert Gallon was a landscape painter born in Deptford, Kent in 1845 to the artist Robert Samuel Ennis Gallon (1807-1867) and his wife Cecilia Ann Russell. He lived with his family at Evelyn Place in Deptford. He was most likely tutored by his father; however, his subject matter was inspired by artists such as Benjamin Williams Leader and George Vicat Cole.

Gallon began exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1868 and in 1873 made his debut at Royal Academy from an address at 12, Tavistock Row, Covent Garden. He was a regular contributor to both galleries, continuing to exhibit at the RSBA until 1893 and at the RA until 1903. He also exhibited at some of the smaller establishments including the Hampstead Art Society, Mendoza Gallery and St James’s Gallery as well as at provincial galleries.

By 1876, he had moved to 28 Alma Square in St John’s Wood. He married Catherine Elizabeth Atkinson on 18 July, 1877 and together they had 3 children. By 1883, he had moved with his growing family to 32 Alma Square where he lived for the rest of his life. Although he lived in London, he often travelled across the British Isles painting scenes of England, Wales and Scotland even visiting the Orkneys. He always painted outdoors and his naturalistic style has an immediacy which comes from being executed entirely on the spot.

Gallon died on 25 November, 1925 at St George’s Hospital Mayfair. His paintings can be found in a number of museums including the Beecroft Art Gallery, Chertsey Museum, Lancaster Maritime Museum, National Library of Wales, Nuneaton Museum, Orkney Museum, Sunderland Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

© Benton Fine Art