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Charles Robertson Biography
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Charles Robertson was a painter of landscapes and genre, both in oil and watercolour, and also an engraver. He began by studying art in London and in the early 1860’s left for Aix-en-Provence in France. While in Aix he heard about the potential for young artists in the Arab world and so he embarked on a tour of Algeria in 1862. In 1863 he exhibited his first painting at The Royal Academy entitled ‘Bouggasik’ Algeria No 26. From then on he made a number of journeys abroad, visiting amongst other places Turkey and the Holy Land in 1872, Egypt, and Tangiers in 1876. These were not lightning tours but often extended over a period of months or sometimes years. His last trip was in 1889 to Egypt, Jerusalem, Damascus, Turkey, Italy and Spain.
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Until 1880 Robertson painted almost exclusively in oils, but from 1884 he worked only in watercolours. He mastered this difficult medium so quickly that he was elected a member of the Royal Watercolour Society. He was also Vice President of the Royal Society of Painters & Etchers. Robertson exhibited his work at the Royal Academy from 1863 – 1865, Suffolk Street, The Old Watercolour Society (103 works), The New Watercolour Society and elsewhere. Robertson lived in Godalming, Surrey for the latter part of his life and died on 19th November 1891.
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Robertson’s work, colourful, detailed and often dated, included such titles as ‘A Khan in Damascus’, ‘A Fruit Shop, Tangiers’ ‘The Mount of Olives from Jerusalem’, ‘The Shoes of the Faithful’ and ‘The Melon Seller, Cairo’. He also painted several imaginary pictures such as ‘Sinbad in the Valley of the Diamonds’ from ‘A Thousand and one Nights’
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Robertson’s paintings can be seen in the Walker Art Gallery and in the National Gallery, Sydney.
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