George Elgar Hicks. George Elgar Hicks was an English painter during the Victorian era.
He is best known for his large genre paintings, which emulate William Powell Frith in style, but was also a society portraitist. Born on 13 March 1824 in Lymington, Hampshire, George Elgar Hicks was the second son of a wealthy magistrate.
His parents encouraged Hicks to become a doctor and so Hicks studied medicine at University College from 1840 to 1842. However, after three years' ardous and disagreeable study Hicks decided he wanted to be an artist.
Due to these circumstances, Hicks began training considerably later in life than most artists of the time. In 1843, Hicks attended Sass's Academy and by 1844 had entered the Royal Academy Schools.
In 1847 Hicks married Maria Hariss and six of their eight children were born in the seven years following. He did not achieve much success as an artist during this period and later referred to his art at this time as small and unimportant. He blamed this on the fact he had little time to study art or interact with other artists, due to a busy family life. In 1859, Hicks painted his first large genre painting, Dividend Day at the Bank of England-following the success of Frith's paintings Ramsgate Sands and The Derby Day at the Royal Academy. It was a typical genre painting, showing a scene from the Bank of England and featuring a broad range of social classes. He painted
He is best known for his large genre paintings, which emulate William Powell Frith in style, but was also a society portraitist. Born on 13 March 1824 in Lymington, Hampshire, George Elgar Hicks was the second son of a wealthy magistrate.
His parents encouraged Hicks to become a doctor and so Hicks studied medicine at University College from 1840 to 1842. However, after three years' ardous and disagreeable study Hicks decided he wanted to be an artist.
Due to these circumstances, Hicks began training considerably later in life than most artists of the time. In 1843, Hicks attended Sass's Academy and by 1844 had entered the Royal Academy Schools.
In 1847 Hicks married Maria Hariss and six of their eight children were born in the seven years following. He did not achieve much success as an artist during this period and later referred to his art at this time as small and unimportant. He blamed this on the fact he had little time to study art or interact with other artists, due to a busy family life. In 1859, Hicks painted his first large genre painting, Dividend Day at the Bank of England-following the success of Frith's paintings Ramsgate Sands and The Derby Day at the Royal Academy. It was a typical genre painting, showing a scene from the Bank of England and featuring a broad range of social classes. He painted
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