This month we focus on a painting by Exeter-born artist John Gendall (1790 – 1865). Gendall was not only an accomplished artist, but he also played a significant role in supporting the arts in Exeter, through his business, his teaching and his efforts to establish the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter.

About the painting

This watercolour painting is at first glance quite sombre. A girl or young woman contemplates a tomb, on a woodland edge. It is night time. Note though, the sliver of light on the girl’s back. The light also falls on the tomb, showing us that there is a connection between the girl and the person who is laid to rest. To the top left, partly hidden, is a trace of moonlight. Interestingly there are splashes of white light sparkling down from the sky, towards the tomb, suggesting a spiritual force of some kind moving between the sky and deceased person. Despite the dark and muted colours of the work, light is subtly used to draw the viewer’s eye to the ‘story’ in the picture.

This painting is sketch-like and impressionistic, giving the sense that it is a scene chanced upon by the artist and quickly recorded.

John Gendall was interested in using muted colours to create harmony and calm in nature. This picture is no exception.

About the Artist

John Gendall was born in Exeter, Devon, being baptised there on 2 January 1790. His first job was as a servant to James White a Lincoln's Inn barrister, who lived in Exeter. However, he showed a talent for drawing and some of his works were displayed in a local Exeter gallery owned by Charles Cole, who was gilder and carver.

Either through a talent-spotter seeing this display or perhaps through James White’s connections, in 1811, Gendall gained an introduction to the acclaimed architect, Sir John Soane, in London. Soane gave him his first commission, which was to draw one of the windows in Westminster Abbey. There is a record of Gendall’s picture ‘North-East View of Westminster Abbey’ in the Royal Academy’s Summer exhibition in 1818.

Gendall was introduced to Rudolf Ackerman, a noted print-seller and publisher in London, for whom he began to work. Ackerman was particularly interested in experimenting with the relatively new process of lithography. Gendall worked with Ackermann to learn more about this new printing method, as well as producing engravings, watercolours and aquatints for Ackerman, even travelling to France to produce works for Ackerman’s publication Picturesque Tour of the Seine, from Paris to the Sea.

In 1824 Gendall married. Shortly afterwards he returned to Exeter with his new wife, and went into business with his old acquaintance, Charles Cole, the gilder and carver. The business unfortunately failed in 1832, when cholera took a grip of Exeter and trade dried up.

However, Gendall restarted the business on his own in 1834, based in what was Moll’s coffee shop in Cathedral Close, Exeter. The business flourished for over 30 years.

John Gendall was a respected member of the Exeter community and he was actively involved in raising money for the establishment of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum there, but he unfortunately died on 1 March 1865, three years before it opened.

Upon his death, the Western Times dated 3 March 1865, pronounced:

Acknowledgements

British Library Newspaper Archive (via Gale digital newspaper archive)
Robert Slack (photograph of grave of John Gendall, on Find a Grave website)
Royal Albert Memorial Museum (portrait of John Gendall)
Wikipedia