Alfred Fontville De Breanski Jnr 1877-1957. Streatley Mill River Thames. Framed Oil.

Alfred Fontville II De Breanski Jnr.
English ( b.1877- d.1957 ).
Streatley Mill, River Thames, near Goring, Oxfordshire.
Oil on Canvas.
Signed lower left.
Image size 11.4 inches x 15.4 inches ( 29cm x 39cm ).
Frame size 22.2 inches x 26.4 inches ( 56.5cm x 67cm ). Depth 3.3 inches (8.5cm)

Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art in the English county of Dorset, this original oil painting is by Alfred Fontville De Breanski Jnr and dates from around 1904.
The painting is presented and supplied untouched in its original substantial Edwardian ornate frame of substantial depth (which is shown in these photographs) and behind glass.
The gold colouring of the frame has been restored by hand in the 1990s when in previous ownership. The frame presents in a pronounced uniform colour throughout. 
This antique painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
The painting is signed lower left.

Part of the famous Breanski family of artists, Alfred Fontville de Breanski is known for his skilled and colourful landscapes and English garden scenes.

He was born on 20th August 1877 at Lewisham, London. He was one of seven children born to the prolific British artist, Alfred De Breanski (1852-1928) and his wife Annie Roberts, also as artist. His uncle, Gustave de Breanski, was also an accomplished artist in his own right. Alfred learnt his craft from his parents, then studied at St. Martin’s School of Art under Cecil Rea, and later in Paris under Whistler. 

Alfred’s art emanated that of his father in subject matter and palette, though he developed a style which was less formal, and learnt to perfectly capture the light at different times of day. Breanski travelled and worked extensively throughout Scotland, Wales, the Lake District, Surrey, Sussex and Buckinghamshire. He is known to have also worked in France and Italy. His work is almost exclusively concerned with natural landscape and rustic scenes and his later work shows the influence of Impressionism. 

His style of painting lent itself to the early developments in poster design being pioneered by the Underground at the time. In 1915 Breanski produced a couple of posters encouraging travel to London for what was then known as the Underground Electric Railways Company. In doing so he positioned himself firmly in the modern movement of the early twentieth century, unifying so-called ‘high art’ with ‘commercial art’. This was very much in the spirit of the Parisian poster artists, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jules Chéret.

Breanski Jnr lived in various places in the South West before making his home at 11 Robert Street, Regent’s Part, London. He died in Tonbridge, Kent, in 1957. During his lifetime Alfred Breanski exhibited several works at the Royal Academy from 1904 and at the Royal Society of British Artists, as well as in the provinces. The works of he and his father remain very popular today.

© Big Sky Fine Art

This original oil on canvas painting by Alfred de Breanski Jnr depicts Old Streatley Mill, on the River Thames, near Goring in Oxfordshire, UK. There was a mill on this site as far back as the Domesday Book, owned by the nuns of Goring. The last mill was destroyed by fire in 1926 and never re-built. The mill itself is captured as a red brick building, straddled over the river, with a red tiled roof. There is some white picket fencing on a balcony over the water and a long raised wooded walkway leading to the front entrance of the building. We view the mill from a position on the opposite bank of the river, and note the lush grassy banks and the presence of beautiful white ducks on both banks. The banks on the far side of the river are constrained by wooden timbers to prevent erosion. There is the figure of a female in a long pink dress apparently feeding the ducks on the far bank, and a second figure, a male, on the walkway, perhaps engaging her in conversation. There are large trees on both riverbanks, in full leaf, suggesting that this is a summer scene. The river itself is clearly flowing but appears calm, and the sky above is pale blue, with numerous white clouds. The overall scene is very English, very pleasant, a perfect glimpse of a time long gone. 

For a full biography of this artist please see his listing on www.bigskyfineart.com .

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