Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk (oil on panel)

Philip Wilson Steer was first trained at the Gloucester School of Art and later went on to study in Paris at Julian’s under the Salon painter Bouguereau and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Strangely he did not seem to come into contact with the work of the Impressionists until his return to London in July 1883 when Dowdeswell’s held a major exhibition. In the following year he returned to England and thereafter divided his time between his London studio and frequent trips to the France and areas of Britain, one of his frequent and favourite haunts being the coast of Norfolk. He developed a very spontaneous style making small, lively, plein-air sketches which would later be used as studies towards his larger studio canvases. His early impressionist-influenced land and seascapes, which are generally now considered to be his best works, were initially considered avant-garde and failed to find favour with the artistic establishment. As a result he became a founder member of the New English Art Club in 1886 and continued to exhibit there for nearly fifty years. In 1889 he contributed to the "London Impressionist Exhibition" at the Goupil Gallery and in 1894 held his first one man show. He was painting tutor at the Slade for nearly forty years and is represented in many public collections including that of the Tate Gallery