Edward Theodore Compton
Edward Theodore Compton, usually referred to as E. T. Compton, (29 July 1849 – 22 March 1921) was an English-born, German artist, illustrator and mountain climber. He is well known for his paintings and drawings of alpine scenery, and as a mountaineer made 300 major ascents including no fewer than 27 first ascents.[1]
Life
Compton was born in
In 1867, wanting the best education for their artistically talented son, and due to the high cost of schooling in England, the family decided to emigrate to Germany settling in Darmstadt. The city at that time was the seat of the Grand Duchy of Hesse under Grand Duke Ludwig III, and a community of artists had sprung up there. Entries in Compton's diary show that both he and his father were art teachers - Alice, the Princess of Hesse numbered amongst Edward's students.[3][4]
Between 1867 and 1868 Compton toured the
In 1869, Compton was living in Munich and two years later for the first time exhibited his work at the Glass Palace.[7]
In 1872 he married Auguste Plotz and for two years they travelled through the Tyrol, Carinthia, Italy and Switzerland. From 1874, the couple settled in Feldafing on Lake Starnberg, building a comfortable house there called Villa Compton.
In the following years, Compton travelled to the mountains of Austria, Scandinavia, North Africa, Corsica and Spain recording his impressions in a variety of oil and watercolors paintings and ink drawings. Although alpine scenes predominated, Compton also visited and drew other areas such as the
In 1880 Compton became a member of the
In 1909 Compton accompanied his friend, the mountaineer
Apart from his art, Compton was also an excellent climber, highly regarded by Blodig for his "brilliant mountaineering skill on ice and rock, his truly admirable perseverance, his inexhaustible patience in bearing hardships".[6] He was a member of the exclusive Alpine Club and the German and Austrian Alpine Association (DAV).[6]
Amongst his notable ascents were: Torre di Brenta first climbed in 1882; Cima Brenta, first climbed by the south wall in 1882; Odle} (Large Fermeda); Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey (ascent in 1905 with Karl Blodig); Grossglockner, climbed at the age of 70!
Compton died in Feldafing on 22 July 1921, aged 72. His son Edward Harrison Compton and daughter Dora Compton were also mountain painters. His other daughter Marion was a flower and still life painter.
Art and influence
Initially painting in the English romantic tradition, Compton later developed a more realistic representation of nature, being guided by his true artistic ideas while retaining topographical accuracy. Even his early watercolors show the great importance of brightness and light and his work is also remarkable for its portrayal of the elements such as water and air, including ascending mist and fog. He can be regarded as an
Although Compton never had much formal art education and did not found a school, he influenced artists such as Ernst Platz and Karl Arnold as well as his son Edward Harrison Compton and daughter Dora Compton.
See also
Notes
- ^ "Austrian Alpine club". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Theodore Compton authored "A Mendip valley, its inhabitants and surroundings" which his son illustrated.
- ^ a b See: Brandes, J & S. E T Compton.
- ^ Darmstadt Artists' Colony.
- ^ See Wichmann.
- ^ a b c d e See E T Compton, a brilliant artist
- ^ a b E T Compton (Ketterer Kunst)
Books illustrated by Compton
- Knight, Francis A. By leafy ways - Brief studies from the book of nature (Roberts Bros., 1890).
- Knight, Francis A. Idylls of the field (Roberts Bros., 1890).
- Various. The Picturesque Mediterranean, Vol 1, Vol 2 (Cassell, 1890).
- Compton, Theodore & Morgan, C. L. A Mendip valley, its inhabitants and surroundings (Edward Stanford, 1892).
- Compton, William Cookworthy. Caesar's seventh campaign in Gaul, B.C. 52 (George Bell and sons, 1907).
- Baillie-Grohman, W. A & Compton, E. H. Germany (A & C Black, 1912).
- Wallraf-Richartz-Museum: Das Skizzenbuch einer Eifelwanderung im Jahre 1868. (Exhibition catalog). Köln 1985
Further reading
- Tallantire, Philip Alan. Edward Theodore Compton (1849-1921): Mountaineer and Mountain Painter (P.A. Tallantire, 1996).
- S. Wichmann. Compton: Edward Theodore und Edward Harrison, Maler und Alpinisten (Belser, 1999). ISBN 3-7630-2371-2
- Schopf, Oswald. Edward Theodore Compton (1849-1921), Bergsteiger und Bergmaler (Trauner, 2006).
- Brandes, Jürgen & Sibylle, Messner, R. E. T. Compton (Berg Publisher Rother, 2007).
External links
- Biography of E T Compton (by Gerhard Schirmer)
- [1] Mountain paintings by E T Compton (mountainpaintings.org)