An attractive townscape depicting fruit sellers at the port of Livorno, Italy by Arthur Joseph Meadows. The scene shows the view looking across from the harbour wall to the church of Santa Caterina da Siena. The church, with its distinctive octagonal tower and lantern was built in the 1720’s by the Dominican order and dedicated to St Catherine of Siena.

Arthur Joseph Meadows was born in Mile End, London on 9th October, 1843 into the Meadows family of artists. His father was the landscape artist James Meadows Snr (1799-1864) and his mother was Ann Cross. His brothers William George Meadows (1825-1907), James Edwin Meadows (1828-1893), Alfred John (1833-1894) and Edwin Lewis Meadows (1838-1907) were all artists. The family lived in Old Town, Clapham and later 12 Coborn Street in Bow.

Like his brothers, Arthur was tutored by his father who influenced his style and subject matter and his output was almost entirely made up of marine scenes. From a young age, he dedicated his life to being an artist and in 1862 began exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists. He made his debut a year later at the Royal Academy and the British Institute. He also exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts in Dublin.

Meadows married Laura Louisa Harrison on 15 October, 1864 in Bromley by Bow and together, they had 10 children. One of their sons Gordon Arthur Meadows (1867-1937) also became an artist. They lived in Bow for a few years but then moved to Charlton Place, Dover from around 1869. Living on the south coast gave Meadows the opportunity to develop his seascapes further but he also went on a number of painting expeditions, travelling to the Channel Islands, France and Holland to paint the coastal views there. In the late 1870’s he spent time in Italy and again in the 1890’s when he also visited Malta and Gibralter. Around 1895, he went to Venice, producing a number of paintings of the city.

Although he travelled extensively, he spent many years in Dover and was recorded as living at 5 Eastbrook Place in 1881, however by 1891, he had returned to London residing in Sydenham Villas, Tottenham. He spent the final years of his life at 18 Portland Road in Notting Hill, where he died on 17th November 1907.

Examples of his work are held Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, The Cooper Gallery, Glasgow Museum, Guernsey Museum, Hastings Museum, Merseyside Maritime Museum, National Maritime Museum, New Wall Art Gallery Walsall, Nuneaton Museum, Science Museum, Sheffield Museum, South Shields Museum and the Towneley Hall Art Gallery.

© Benton Fine Art