Monday, March 23, 2020

Victor Hume Moody: Some Dramatic Portraits

Victor Hume Moody (1896-1990) lived a long life that in his working years was dominated by the Modernism that he didn't practice.

He is obscure enough that at the time I drafted this post, he had no Wikipedia entry. The main background information I found is here. Additionally, it seems he abandoned painting from about 1919 to 1926. He painted using laborious, classical methods for the remainder of his career.

Moody exhibited a dramatic flair in many of his works, though not always. Below are examples of each. Since some images are undated, I can't order the paintings chronologically.

Gallery

Miss Willoughby
A striking portrait.

Girl with a Cittern - Portrait of Catherine Moody,
His daughter.

Self Portrait
Perhaps painted about the same time as the image below,

The Artist’s Wife, May Olive Moody - 1926-27

Portrait of a Lady
A softer, less-dramatic portrait.

Portrait sketch of woman

The Day War Broke Out, Mom - 1939

Presentation of Colours to the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment - 1960
This for a commemorative commission. No drama, but appropriate for that genre.

2 comments:

Female War Poets said...

Hello Donald from a damp and grey England. I have been trying to find out more about Moody and have come up with this information. As the WW1 service records for his name were destroyed during the Blitz of WW2, I canot find out if he served during the First World War. Victor Hume Moody (1896 -1990) was born on 10th November 1896 in Lambeth, London, UK.
His parents were John Moody and his wife, Catherine Moody, nee Woodman. Victor had a brother, Arthur J. Moody, who was born in 1899.
Victor married May O Willoughby in 1919 and their daughter Catherine Olive, who also became an artist, was born on 27th November 1920.

He became an artist and teacher in oil, pencil and charcoal. He first studied at Battersea Polytechnic then at the Royal College of Art under William Rothenstein. He went on to become head master of Malvern School of Art from 1935-1962, being succeeded by his daughter, Catherine Olive Moody. An elected member of the RBSA he exhibited widely showing at the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and Royal Society of British Artists' and had a one man exhibition at the Goupil Gallery, in 1939. Moody produced classical compositions and portraits. He had a strong interest in the techniques of painting used in the 17th century.
Victor died in Malvern, Worcester in 1990. Sources: Find my Past and Fre BMD. Best wishes from Lucy LUCY LONDON First World War Exhibition Project

Donald Pittenger said...

Female War Poets -- Thank you for the additional information -- much appreciated!