Catching the Light

Yesterday, to mark the 150th anniversary of Henry Scott Tuke's birth, the Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall opened a major exhibition of his work: Catching the Light: The Sunshine Paintings of Henry Scott Tuke (title link). A second exhibition opens at the Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, on 10 May: Catching the Light: A Retrospective of Henry Scott Tuke (CLICK). Both exhibitions continue until 12 July. Together they will show 130 of Tuke's works, 11 of which have been loaned by Sir Elton John. Tuke was the Cornish Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. Like his Spanish contemporary, Tuke sat on the beach painting impressionistic pictures of boats, fishermen and naked boys, but he lacked Spanish sunshine and Sorolla's discerning eye and spontaneity, and there are still dark mutterings about Tuke's relationships with his youthful male models! He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1914.