The Beach at Walberswick, c.1889 - Philip Wilson Steer - Framed art Print

Born in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, Philip Wilson Steer (1810-1871) first ventured into the arts at Gloucester School of Art in 1878, later attending South Kensington Drawing Schools from 1880-1881. Despite an initial rejection by the Royal Academy schools, he found his artistic footing in Paris from 1882-1884. There, he refined his craft under William Adolphe Bouguereau at the Académie Julian, and later under Alexandre Cabanel at the École des Beaux Arts, aligning with the Impressionist school.

Steer made Chelsea his home, but spent his summers painting in locales like Yorkshire, the Cotswolds, and the West Country. His work often drew inspiration from the south and east coasts of Britain. From 1893 to 1930, he shared his knowledge as a teacher at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where Anna Airy was among his many pupils. Steer was commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook during World War I to paint scenes of the Royal Navy and, in 1931, received the Order of Merit for his contributions to art.

His legacy is encapsulated by his luminous landscapes, most notably "The Beach at Walberswick" (1890) and "Girls Running: Walberswick Pier" (1894), both showcased at the Tate Gallery, London. Influenced by French Impressionists, Whistler, and old masters like François Boucher, Steer, along with Walter Sickert, emerged as a significant British Impressionist. Experimenting with light and colour fragmentation, his summer scenes painted on the East Coast at Walberswick and Southwold remain testament to his unique talent. Steer, who remained unmarried, succumbed to bronchitis at his Cheyne Walk London home on 21 March 1942.