Edward Roworth
Born1880
Lancashire
Died1964
Somerset West, Western Cape, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
EducationSlade School of Art
Occupation(s)Artist, painter
Known forLandscapes and portraits
Notable workThe first frescoes in South Africa

Edward Roworth (1880 in Lancashire – 1964 Somerset West) was a South African artist.

Background

He studied under Tom Wostyn at Heaton, briefly under Sir Hubert Herkomer at Bushey, and finally under Henry Tonks at the Slade School of Art. He spent some time in Florence studying the art of fresco. He preferred painting the landscapes of the Cape and Natal, often depicting farmhouses. He was adept at producing formal portraits, working happily in oils or pastel. In his heyday Roworth greatly influenced the South African art scene, endorsing a conservative approach.

Edward Roworth arrived in South Africa with British forces during the Anglo-Boer War.[1]: 305  With the war over he decided to stay and settled in Cape Town, where he set up a teaching studio. In 1908 he was elected President of the South African Society of Artists, doing so again in 1918–20 and 1933–36. In 1938, he was appointed to the chair of the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town and held the position until 1953.[1]: 305  From 1941 until 1948 he was the director of the South African National Gallery.[1]: 305 

In 1909 Roworth was commissioned to produce a painting of the National Convention, a 5m x 6m work depicting the 33 men who were architects of the Union.[1]: 305  This work was completed in 1911 whereupon it was displayed in Buckingham Palace, later being installed in the House of Assembly in Cape Town. Roworth's next task was painting, what were possibly the first frescoes in South Africa, in St Phillips Church in Cape Town.[2]

Four paintings by Edward Roworth were burned by demonstrators during the Rhodes Must Fall demonstrations at the University of Cape Town in February 2016 (portraits of Mrs Barnard-Fuller, Doris Spencer Emmet, Anna Maria Tugwell and Jan Smuts).[3] Two other paintings have been removed from UCT in 2016 (portraits of Thomas Benjamin Davie and Theo le Roux); one painting (Portrait of Prof William Ritchie) is missing.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Joyce, Peter (1989). The South African family encyclopaedia. Internet Archive. Cape Town : Struik Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86977-887-6.
  2. ↑ "Edward Roworth - South African Art History - South African Historical Artists". www.arcyart.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. ↑ GroundUp, 9 June 2017
  4. ↑ Dossier Art under threat at University of Cape Town - South African Art Times, 2017
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