Claude Thomas Stanfield Moore Explained

Claude Thomas Stanfield Moore
Birth Name:Tom Claude Stanfield Moore
Birth Date:1 June 1853
Birth Place:Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Death Place:Nottingham, England

Claude Thomas Stanfield Moore (1 June 1853[1]  - 2 April 1901[2]) was a British artist from Nottingham who flourished from 1876[3] until his death in 1901. He was initially a landscape artist, but became better known for his maritime scenes and views over the Thames.

Biography

Moore initially earned a living as a lithographic draftsman,[4] [5] until, at the age of 27, he was able to support himself as an independent artist and from about 1880, exhibited his work regularly at the Nottingham Castle Art Museum, the Nottingham Society of Artists[6] and at other towns in the region.[7] [8] [9]

Moore's father, Thomas Cooper Moore, was a founder-member of the Nottingham Society of Artists[10] [11] and besides pursuing his career as an architect, still found time to create many attractive pictures and teach and encourage his sons with their artistic skills.[12]

Claude, his father and brother Reuben (more commonly spelt Rubens) Arthur were all praised for their scenes of Old Nottingham and captured many scenes of disappearing Britain, featuring country life and buildings of character,[13] [14] working with line drawings, monochrome, watercolors and oils.[15] [16]

One of the Derby exhibits was "Fair-day in the Morledge", depicting a bustling city centre Easter fair, at Derby, see image in the right hand panel. This picture, now in the possession of the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, was exhibited at Mr. Keene’s picture exhibition in Derby,[17] according to the Derby Mercury of 31 May 1882,[18] by T. C. Moore but is now attributed to Claude T. S.

By 1891, Claude T. S. had declared himself an Artist, Marine;[19] his pictures are predominantly river scenes or coastal scenes with vessels drawn in intimate detail, always with dramatic lighting effects. Claude had a studio in Nottingham[20] but worked mainly in London from 1882[21] and painted many London scenes, some of the most prominent being his views of the Thames, its wharves, ships; and his views of the Houses of Parliament and Westminster,[22] from the river.[23]

One painting, called "The Pool of London", which was created jointly by Claude and his father in 1879, sold at auction in 1999 for £12,000.[24]

Claude was said to have been influenced by the Nottingham painters Henry Dawson and J. M. W. Turner due to the use of light in his paintings, although it has been said that his paintings of the Thames give the impression that "the Thames is in the tropics".[5] Moore died in 1901 at the age of 47 shortly after his father.

The work of Claude, his father, Thomas Cooper and his brother, Reuben Arthur (usually called Rubens) is similar in character and variety; all sought charming urban and rural scenes, coastal scenes and seascapes in the British Isles and Western Europe.[25] With Claude and his father having two initials in common, there is potential for confusion.[26]

Reuben (Rubens) has one painting in the collection of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall in York, two in the British Postal Museum & Archive[27] and others in the Nottingham Castle Museum collection, while their father has a number of paintings in Nottingham Castle Museum and also in the Nottinghamshire Archives, Nottingham Central Library, and Nottinghamshire County Hall.[28]

External links

Notes and References

  1. From Free BMD Index 1837-1915, Births: Tom Claude Stanfield Moore; Date of registration: April, May or June 1853; Nottingham, Vol. 7b, Page: 228. Claude's birth day comes from "The Directory of Modern British Painters".
  2. From Free BMD Index 1837-1915, Deaths, Date of registration: Apr-May-Jun 1901; Age at Death: 47 Registration district: Nottingham; Volume: 7b; Page:195. The date of death comes from "Artists of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire".
  3. Nottinghamshire Weekly Guardian, 04/08/1876 "Sale of Samual Parrott (dec'd)'s, paintings including some by Moore Snr. and Moore Jnr., auctioned in the Exchange and Mart auction rooms."
  4. Article about T. C. Moore and his son Claude, by Andy Smart of the Nottingham Post, 22 Feb. 2012, relating to a picture due to be auctioned, which may be available here.
  5. "Claude Thomas S. Moore", biography by Bruce Fearn, Nottingham Evening Post, 11 May 1996.
  6. Web site: List of events in the Moores' Family of Artists from Nottingham. . 29 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222190854/http://www.livebetter.co.uk/TheMoores/Moores%27%20facts%203.pdf . 22 February 2014 . dead .
  7. "Fair Day in the Morledge" exhibited in 1882, by T. C. Moore: Derby Mercury 31-05-1882. Available from the "19th Century British Library Newspapers" archive, which can by accessed from some main libraries.
  8. A picture by CTS was shown at the Huddersfield Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition; the Huddersfield Daily Chronicle, 20 July 1883.
  9. http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/200070/museums_and_galleries/26/art_gallery/1 Rotheram Art Gallery.
  10. At 08/12/2012 There is a Thomas Cooper Moore biography on Europeana, which may be available here.
  11. Currently, March 2012, there is a biography of Thomas Cooper and a reference to his son, Claude T. S. from Picture the Past, which may be available here.
  12. Biography of Thomas Cooper Moore by Bruce Fearn of Neals Auctioneers, Nottingham: Nottingham Evening Post 25 January 1997.
  13. The Nottinghamshire Guardian, 9 May 1884: Available from the "19th Century British Library Newspapers" archive, which can by accessed from some main libraries.
  14. The Nottinghamshire Guardian, 13 May 1887: Available from the "19th Century British Library Newspapers" archive, which can by accessed from some main libraries.
  15. http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/ Picture The Past
  16. Artfact; records of pictures, by all three Moores, sold at auction, can be found here if link is available.
  17. Photo Sleuth, blogspot has a reference to this event, which may be available here, on this very long page. There is probably a mistake in the record of the notice in the Derby Mercury, in the blogspot.
  18. "Fair Day in the Morledge" exhibited in 1882, by T. C. Moore: Derby Mercury 31-5-1882. Available from the "19th Century British Library Newspapers" archive, which can by accessed from some main libraries.
  19. 1891 Census of Nottingham "Tom C S Moore, son of Thomas Cooper Moore, single, male, aged 37, Artist Marine, born Nottingham"
  20. List from The Nottinghamshire Archives (physical building), shows contiguous addresses in Nottingham for Claude T. S. Moore, from 1880 to 1898.
  21. Christies, London, King Street. Sale 6172, 26 Nov. 1999, Lot:120; : Lot Notes show C. T. S. Moved to London in 1882: this may be available here.
  22. There is an Image of this on Askart.com, 9 March 2012, which may be available here.
  23. Images of pictures, by all three of the Moores, in public galleries, can currently be seen (March 2012), in the BBC - Your paintings collection.
  24. Christies, London, King Street. Sale 6172, 26 Nov. 1999, Lot:120; : Lot Notes show C. T. S. Moved to London in 1882: this may be available here
  25. http://www.livebetter.co.uk/TheMoores/Moores%27%20at%20auction%203.pdf "The Moores at Auction"
  26. See comparisons between signatures on some of Thomas Cooper's and Claude Thomas's paintings on this page.
  27. https://artuk.org/discover/artists/moore-rubens-arthur-18601933 Rubens Arthur Moore
  28. Some of Thomas Cooper Moore's pictures are viewable here, if the link is open.