Henry Keyworth Raine

Self portrait ( as diogenes ) by Henry Keyworth Raine


Henry Keyworth Raine ( 1872-1932), the great nephew of William Powell Frith,[1] was an English school portrait oil painter.

Born in York, he was the son of the Reverend James Raine and Ann Jane Keyworth.

Raine was commonly known as 'The cellar artist '.[2] The techniques he employed in his underground studio off Hanover square in the west end of London were an effort to recreate the style and results of artists he admired, such as Titian, Rembrandt and Velazquez.[3] Painting by candlelight, using only three colours on his pallet and using specially commissioned black canvas, Raine was able to complete a portrait in a mere five hours, meaning the sitter would only need to visit his studio on one occasion. The interest in Raine spread across the world and stories revolving around his method of painting in the dark were printed.[4] Many politicians, aristocrats and socialites[5] became patrons of his work, including Sir Neville Chamberlain K.C.B, Lady Chamberlain, Lord and Lady Iveagh, Lord Kingston, The Countess of Shaftesbury, Lord Effingham, Sir Claude De Crespigny and Mrs. Fritz Ponsonby, the wife of the private secretary to the King.

York Museum contains some examples of his work[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Re: William Powell Frith". Genforum.genealogy.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  2. ↑ "09 Dec 1905 - The Sydney Morning Herald - p14". Nla.gov.au. 1905-12-09. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  3. ↑ "03 Feb 1920 - ARTIST PAINTS BY CANDLE LIGHT". Trove.nla.gov.au. 1920-02-03. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  4. ↑ "The Minneapolis journal. (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, May 13, 1906, Part II, Editorial Section, Page 8, Image 20 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress". Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. 1906-05-13. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  5. ↑ "London St James Gazette, Tuesday, May 10, 1904, Page 7". Newspaperarchive.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  6. ↑ "Henry Keyworth Raine". www.bbc.co.uk.