Eyre was born into a cosmopolitan milieu. A journalist for London's leading newspapers all his life, his father developed family life between London and Paris, supplemented for Eyre by trips to Rome and America. Liberals and artists in the surrounding area formed a stimulating substrate - almost all children and grandchildren acquired fame in politics or art. Eyre Crowe's path to fame was rather rocky.
Crowe's father recognized his talent early on and had him trained by M. Brasseur, William Darley, John Brine and Paul Delaroche as well as at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1843 Jean Eugène Damery, Jean-Leon Gerome and Eyre (with mother, sisters and youngest brother) followed Delaroche to Rome. The friendship with Gérôme lasted a lifetime. From Rome the family moved to London, where the father now worked. When Crowe could not establish himself as a painter, he began a further education at the Royal Academy Schools of Art. Here he came into contact with the later Pre-Raphaelites, from which friendships developed with William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Frederic George Stephens. Although Crowe exhibited for the Academy three times in the 1940s, it was his childhood friend from Paris, William Makepeace Thackeray, who kept him financially afloat through commissions. By the early 1950s, Crowe was forced to make a living writing alone, as an art critic for his father's newspaper and as a secretary and assistant for Thackeray. When his father lost his job at the newspaper, Crowe Thackeray followed a reading tour to America.
The trip to America inspired the return to painting with works on slavery and genre scenes. In 1856, after Boswell's introduction to the Literary Club, destined for the Academy, was purchased by the art dealer Gambart, he was able to exhibit for the Academy for 52 consecutive years! The deep sentiments and strong characters of his works were appreciated, as well as the meticulous attention to detail; his colouring was perceived as rather hard and dry. His artistic success opened new doors for him. He worked for the Kensington Museum as an inspector and examiner at art schools and advised the museum on acquisitions. He spent his free time painting in Northern France and preparing for the Academy exhibition.
What appears to us to be a glamorous lifestyle between the metropolises of the world and at the pulse of art and politics meant financial dependence on others for Crowe over long distances. As a painter, neither a "rock star" nor blessed with business acumen, his persistence paid off. By the end of his life he could look back on a stable and lucrative creative and professional career in the service of art.
Eyre was born into a cosmopolitan milieu. A journalist for London's leading newspapers all his life, his father developed family life between London and Paris, supplemented for Eyre by trips to Rome and America. Liberals and artists in the surrounding area formed a stimulating substrate - almost all children and grandchildren acquired fame in politics or art. Eyre Crowe's path to fame was rather rocky.
Crowe's father recognized his talent early on and had him trained by M. Brasseur, William Darley, John Brine and Paul Delaroche as well as at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1843 Jean Eugène Damery, Jean-Leon Gerome and Eyre (with mother, sisters and youngest brother) followed Delaroche to Rome. The friendship with Gérôme lasted a lifetime. From Rome the family moved to London, where the father now worked. When Crowe could not establish himself as a painter, he began a further education at the Royal Academy Schools of Art. Here he came into contact with the later Pre-Raphaelites, from which friendships developed with William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Frederic George Stephens. Although Crowe exhibited for the Academy three times in the 1940s, it was his childhood friend from Paris, William Makepeace Thackeray, who kept him financially afloat through commissions. By the early 1950s, Crowe was forced to make a living writing alone, as an art critic for his father's newspaper and as a secretary and assistant for Thackeray. When his father lost his job at the newspaper, Crowe Thackeray followed a reading tour to America.
The trip to America inspired the return to painting with works on slavery and genre scenes. In 1856, after Boswell's introduction to the Literary Club, destined for the Academy, was purchased by the art dealer Gambart, he was able to exhibit for the Academy for 52 consecutive years! The deep sentiments and strong characters of his works were appreciated, as well as the meticulous attention to detail; his colouring was perceived as rather hard and dry. His artistic success opened new doors for him. He worked for the Kensington Museum as an inspector and examiner at art schools and advised the museum on acquisitions. He spent his free time painting in Northern France and preparing for the Academy exhibition.
What appears to us to be a glamorous lifestyle between the metropolises of the world and at the pulse of art and politics meant financial dependence on others for Crowe over long distances. As a painter, neither a "rock star" nor blessed with business acumen, his persistence paid off. By the end of his life he could look back on a stable and lucrative creative and professional career in the service of art.
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