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British painter (1863–1945) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amy Sawyer (1863 – 1 October 1945) was a British painter, illustrator, and playwright in the Arts and Crafts movement. She lived most of her life in Ditchling, East Sussex, England.
Amy Sawyer | |
---|---|
Born | 1863 East Grinstead |
Died | 1 October 1945 (aged 81–82) Ditchling |
Occupation | Painter, playwright, illustrator |
Family | Mabel Ellen Young |
Amy Sawyer was born in 1863 in East Grinstead, West Sussex, the oldest of seven children of Charles Sawyer, a draper and grocer, and Eliza Blacklock Sawyer.[1] Her sister was the woodcarver Mabel Ellen Young.[2] In 1885, Sawyer moved to Bushey, Hertfordshire, to attend the Herkomer School of Art, founded by Hubert von Herkomer.[1]
Her work incorporates folklore, mythology, fairies, and other fantastic themes, and is notable for its depiction of strong female characters.[1] Between 1887 and 1909, she exhibited sixteen times at the Royal Academy.[2] She exhibited her nude depiction of Psyche at the Salon des Beaux Arts in 1907.[3] Few of her works are in public collections; one exception is Gentle Spring Brings her Garden Stuff to Market (1893), in the Russell-Cotes Museum in Bournemouth, Dorset.[2]
Her illustration work appeared in the periodicals Black and White and The Illustrated London News. She also illustrated gift books for Raphael Tuck & Sons.
She illustrated the book Heart of the World, a fantasy novel by H. Rider Haggard set in Aztec Mesoamerica. Of the many artists who produced over a thousand images to accompany his works, Sawyer was the only woman to illustrate a work by Haggard during his lifetime.[1]
She also published an art book with Sands & Co., The Seasons (1905). Every month of the year was illustrated with depictions of women and different flowers corresponding to each month, accompanied by a quotation of poetry.[1]
Sawyer gave up art around 1913 after lead poisoning robbed her of the use of her right hand.[1][2] She became a playwright, staging her first play, Love Is Blind, in 1921.[2] Her plays involved similar themes to her artwork and were performed in local Sussex dialect.[2] Twenty-four of her plays were collected in Sussex Village Plays and Others (1934).[4]
Sawyer died on 1 October 1945 at her home in Ditchling.[1]
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