DISCOVER THE COAST
The atmospheric village of Staithes has long lured artists with its magical charm – here’s where to see the work of The Staithes Group and other coastal-inspired artists
‘It was there that I found myself and what I might do. The life and place were what I yearned for – the freedom, the austerit y, the savager y, the wilderness. I loved the cold and the northerly storms when no covering would protect you. I loved the strange race of people who lived there, whose stern, almost forbidding exterior, formed such contrasts to the warmth and richness of their nature.’
There’s high drama in the reaction of the great artist Dame Laura Knight to the North Yorkshire coastal village that became her spiritual home for around 15 years from 1894. Staithes, at the northern end of the county, is to this day one of the most popular destinations for visitors to this area (and these days, a little more forgiving in temperament than it was 130 years ago!).
The Staithes Group of Artists – a somewhat looser collective than its more famous rival down in Newlyn – comprised Dame Laura and her husband, Harold, Hannah Hoyland, Mark Senior, Ernest Dade, Frank Mason and a dozen or so other talented painters.
They weren’t exclusively marine artists, but they were brought together by their love of the sea, this coast, and the great outdoors – generally, their preferred method was to get out there and paint directly from nature, a technique known as ‘en plein air’, which gave their work a freshness and immediacy.
The largest collection of artwork by the Staithes Group any where is in the beautiful Pannett Art Gallery in Whitby – snuggled against the town’s museum, it’s also home to a wide range of other maritime art.
Head 20 miles down the coast and you’ll find the stately Scarborough Art Gallery, home to another fine collection of coastal art including works by Mason, Dade, Ernest Roe and, of course, John Atkinson Grimshaw.
Best known as the man who redefined moonlight, the Victorian artist was an avid painter of maritime scenes, with subjects ranging from th
