Three contemporary artists pay tribute to the work of acclaimed artist George Stubbs in the 300th anniversary of his birth in Liverpool.

Stubbs, whose work can be found in museums and private collections throughout the world, through their own investigations and observations of the natural world in particular, is celebrated not only for his paintings but also for his seminal work, The Anatomy of the Horse

Now living in York, sculptor Harold Gosney will be a familiar name to former students at Grimsby Art School where he taught sculpture for many years. The horse is a central theme of Harold’s work and his wooden and riveted copper Horse and Rider can be seen on permanent display at Normanby Hall.  In the Stubbs 300 exhibition Gosney’s work includes, as well as sculpture, some complementary drawings and paintings.

Emma Rodgers, who in 2017 was commissioned by the family of Cilla Black to created a public art sculpture of “Cilla” which is now a permanent feature outside the famous Cavern Club, Liverpool, has been exhibiting at The Ropewalk for more than 20 years. Merseyside based Emma is one of the most sought after – and highly collectable – artists working in Britain today.  For this exhibition Emma, whose work has always featured animals, has created work inspired by paintings by Stubbs housed in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool and at Scawby Hall.

The final artist Sally Beaumont is Lincolnshire based who has a studio at The Ropewalk and in her work the default image is the horse. In Stubbs 300 Sally’s paintings and prints combines many current horse-related themes and she hopes that this exhibition brings attention to the importance of Stubbs to the Barton upon Humber area, particularly her modern version of Stubb’s In Barton Field. Her grandfather J W Beaumont and father G L Beaumont were both veterinary surgeons and saw active service in World War One and Two respectively.

Barton’s connections to Stubbs comes through his patronage by the Nelthorpe family who at the time lived at Baysgarth House, then the family’s principal residence. Sir Henry Nelthorpe and his second wife Elizabeth commissioned Stubbs To paint a portrait of them both, the first known painting by the artist in around 1745.
Around 10 years later Stubbs returned to Barton to paint a portrait of Henry’s son John and between around 1756 and 1758 he spent 18 months in the nearby village of Horkstow dissecting and studying horses which led to the publication of The Anatomy of the Horse in 1766.

After time spent living and working in London Stubbs returned to northern Lincolnshire about 10 years later when Sir John, who continued to patronise him throughout his life as his mother had done before him, commissioned him in 1776 to paint a portrait of himself, at the age of 31, out shooting with his dogs, Hector and Tinker, in Barton Field over-looking Barton’s two churches and the Humber Estuary.

Stubbs is known to have painted eight paintings in northern Lincolnshire that year: two for Sir John Nelthorpe, one for Sir John’s friend Sir Valentine Knightley, one for Sir John’s brother-in-law Reverend Robert Carter Thelwall, and four for Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Baron Yarborough of Brocklesby.  Other wealthy patrons of Stubbs include grandee families of the wider area including the Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven and the Duke of Rutland as well as the Marquess of Rockingham who commissioned Stubbs to paint his horse Whistlejacket so it could hang at Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham.

A further visit in 1792 saw Stubbs paint two dogs, one belonging to Sir John Nelthorpe, and one to Baron Yarborough. The portrait of Sir John’s spaniel, Faddle, is notable as it is the only portrait Stubbs actually painted in Scawby, the 6th baronet having moved to Scawby Hall following the sale of Baysgarth House in 1792.
Scawby Hall has several works of Stubbs on display including In Barton Field and of Faddle, and is also celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of Stubbs. Still home to the Sutton-Nelthorpe family the Hall and its grounds are open on selected days in August and September for pre-booked guided tours. More information can be found on http://www.scawbyhall.com