Montague Dawson
1895-1973 | British

Eight Bells

Signed "Montague Dawson" (lower right)
Oil on canvas laid on board

Few painters were so adept at rendering ships at sea as Montague Dawson, an artist renowned for his highly detailed maritime compositions. By 1935, he was dubbed “the King of the Clipper Ship School,” and his reputation as a ship-marine painter spread internationally. In Eight Bells, Dawson’s attention to nautical detail and his ability to capture dynamic movement are fully evident. The large-scale oil on canvas is a rarity in his oeuvre, boasting a daring composition with a shipboard perspective that invites the viewer to experience the work in a truly visceral way.

Overlooking the deck of the boat at close range, the painting pays homage to the efforts of the crew as they battle with the sails in rough waters. Not only does Dawson draw attention to the harsh life of sailors on the open sea, but also the power and ever-present peril of the ocean water. Furthermore, the artist's extensive knowledge of ships is fully evident in the smallest details of the composition, from the seams in the sails to the complex network of rigging strewn across the water-soaked deck. The result is a suspenseful composition that emphasizes the drama of these clipper ships at sail.

The son of a keen yachtsman and grandson of marine painter Henry Dawson, Montague Dawson spent much of his childhood on the Southampton Water, where he was able to indulge his interest in the study of ships. Naturally gifted at drawing and painting, the self-taught Dawson became a member of an art studio group in Bedford Row, London. By the age of 15, he was working on posters and illustrations to earn a living. For a brief period around 1910, Dawson worked for a commercial art studio in London, but with the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Royal Navy. Dawson was present at the final surrender of the German Grand Fleet, and many of his illustrations depicting the event were published in The Sphere.

After the War, Dawson established himself as a professional marine artist, concentrating on historical subjects and portraits of deep-water sailing ships. During the Second World War, he was employed as a war artist and again worked for The Sphere. Dawson exhibited regularly at the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Academy from 1917 to 1936. By the 1930s, he was considered the greatest living marine painter. His patrons included two American Presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as the British Royal Family.