Sir Walter Frederick Osborne
Walter Osborne was born in Dublin, the son of William Osborne, an animal painter. He studied at the Royal Hibernian Academy schools from 1876-1881. Upon winning the Royal Dublin Society’s coveted Taylor scholarship, he went to study at the Koninklijk Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp under Charles Verlat (1824-1890) where Osborne learnt careful drawing typical of his earlier work. During this time he developed relationships with painters of the Newlyn school and other British naturalists who were searching for the ideal naturalist idiom. He continued this interest when he moved to Brittany soon after the conclusion of his studies in Antwerp. During this time his work displayed the influence of Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848- 1884) in his renderings of scenes of the poorer classes and his treatment of the subject.
He spent the 1880’s in England, refining his style and exhibiting often at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin from 1877 and the Royal Academy in London from 1886. In 1887 he exhibited with the New English Art Club and became a member.
He was an elected member of the Royal Hibernian Academy and co-founded the Dublin Art Club in the late 19th century. Due to family commitments, Osborne was forced to spend more time in Dublin in 1890s and his subjects changed their focus to that of an Irish patent. His style evolved greatly in his later career, abandoning his laborious drawing learnt in Antwerp in favour of a looser brush and more painterly style. He is best known now for his renderings of Dublin streets, particularly around Christ Church with a particular interest in the depiction of children. He painted a great number of portraits, including large genre portraits, on commission and became Ireland’s foremost portrait painter.
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He spent the 1880’s in England, refining his style and exhibiting often at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin from 1877 and the Royal Academy in London from 1886. In 1887 he exhibited with the New English Art Club and became a member.
He was an elected member of the Royal Hibernian Academy and co-founded the Dublin Art Club in the late 19th century. Due to family commitments, Osborne was forced to spend more time in Dublin in 1890s and his subjects changed their focus to that of an Irish patent. His style evolved greatly in his later career, abandoning his laborious drawing learnt in Antwerp in favour of a looser brush and more painterly style. He is best known now for his renderings of Dublin streets, particularly around Christ Church with a particular interest in the depiction of children. He painted a great number of portraits, including large genre portraits, on commission and became Ireland’s foremost portrait painter.
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