Christopher Williams (Welsh artist)
| Christopher Williams | |
|---|---|
Self-portrait
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| Born |
Christopher Williams 7 January 1873 Maesteg, Wales |
| Died | 19 July 1934 (aged 61) London, England |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Known for | Painter |
Christopher David Williams (7 January 1873–1934) was a Welsh artist.
Williams was born in Maesteg, Wales. His father Evan Williams intended him to be a doctor, but he disliked the idea. A visit to the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, in 1892, where he spent some hours in front of Frederick Leighton's Perseus and Andromeda, revealed a new world to him. He left the Gallery with a firm decision that he would be an artist. He studied first in Neath at the town's Technical Institute in 1892 and 1893 under Mr. Kerr. From 1893 he spent three years at the Royal College of Art and then studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1896 until 1901. In 1902, his Paolo and Francesca was hung in the Royal Academy and his portrait of his father was shown there in 1903. These were the first of 18 paintings by Williams exhibited there. His portrait of Sir Alfred Lyall was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1910 and brought him an invitation from the Royal Society of British Artists to join their ranks and he exhibited 37 paintings in their Gallery over the next decade. He also exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters until 1930.
In 1911, Williams received a commission from King George V to work on a commemorative painting of the Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. As well as attending the ceremony, he visited Buckingham Palace, where the Royal Family sat for him in order to complete the detail of the picture. He completed two versions of this painting.
Among his portraits were those of David Lloyd George, Sir John Williams, Sir John Rhys, Sir Henry Jones, Sir John Morris Jones, Dr Stanton Coit, Sir Frederick Mills, John Hinds MP. He painted the first of three portraits of Lloyd George in the summer of 1911. Lloyd George described him as "one of the most gifted artists Wales has produced".
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