| Referred
to as "the Turner of his generation", Hilder
was one of the best known artists of the twentieth century.
No other artist 'is so well remembered for the way he
captured completely the essence of our heritage in the
English, and most particularly the Kent, countryside.
He lived in Blackheath for most of his life when it
was a Kentish country village, and frequently stayed
for extended periods with his grandparents in Birling,
Kent. He studied art at Goldsmith's College School of
Art where he met his wife Edith, with whom he later
collaborated with him on many flower and landscape works.
Among the numerous books illustrated by Hilder are Moby
Dick, Treasure Island and Mary Webb's Precious
Bane.
At the age of eighteen, Hilder's work was accepted
and hung in the RA, London, and went on to exhibit
in many country around the world. Hilder produced
images for LNER in the interwar years, and was personally
commissioned to do work for the MOI by Edwin
Embleton. His first one-man exhibition had been
held at the Fine Art Society in Bond Street, London
in 1939. He was elected a member of the Royal Institute
of Painters in Watercolours in 1935, becoming President
of the Society in 1964. He was also a much admired
lecturer at Goldsmiths' College, the Art Workers'
Guild, The Slade, The Royal School and The Central
School, and his book Starting in Watercolours has
been translated into many languages and was an international
bestseller. He was awarded an OBE in 1986, and in
1988 was still much in demand, reaching an even wider
public through etchings and two successful books Rowland
Hilder's England and Rowland Hilder Country. Sir Hugh
Casson, Former President of the RA described his style
and technique as 'so recognisable that there are parts
of England which, in tribute to his skill, seem to
have grown physically like his paintings'. In the
1950s, Roland Hilder (sic) was represented by Artist
Partners, Ltd.
Information collated from: Norden, G. 'RCJ
Articles', http://www.carriageprints.com/rcjarticle.htm,
written September 10 2002, accessed October 3 2003;
Questionnaire submitted by Royall, K. to Embleton,
E., Royall, K., 'Posters of the Second World War:
The Fourth Arm of British Defence', Unpublished M.A.,
University of Westminster, 1991, p.123; Goldsmith
& Bate Ltd., 'Rowland Hilder', http://www.goldsmithandbate.com/artists/hilder.htm,
accessed October 3 2003.; Artist Partners, 'ap retro',
http://www.artistpartners.com/mainpages/ap_retro.html,
accessed August 28 2003.
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