'Daily Toil' - A Copper Printing Plate Etched by Roland Batchelor (1889 - 1990)

Bernard William Roland Batchelor continues to be a much-loved artist, primarily because he could capture a scene full of warmth, movement and spontaneity with such a lightness of touch. These qualities are evident in this depiction of a millworker. Whether he was painting in Richmond upon Thames or in his beloved rural France, he had a wonderful ability to convey human interaction with a perfect blend of humour and realism. His medium of choice, especially in his later years, was watercolour. However, he was also, as you can see from the attached images a very talented etcher and illustrator. This etched copper plate forms part of a small collection by Roland Batchelor that, until now, has not appeared for sale on the open market. Painter, watercolourist, draughtsman and printmaker. Roland was born in London and from an early age began to paint. He was a civil servant from 1905-49, painting and studying in his spare time, firstly at Putney School of Art, under George Morrow (q.v.) and, after serving during WWI, at Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art with Harry Watson (q.v.). After retiring he had further tuition with A R Middleton Todd at the City and Guilds of London School. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and the Royal Watercolour Society, of which he became a member in 1966. He was a Francophile and recorded ordinary French life in watercolours and numerous notebooks. A centenary exhibition was held by the Catto Gallery in 1989. 'Roland Batchelor Etchings', from a series of plates produced in 1936, was published by the New Academy Gallery in 2003. He lived in St Margaret's on Thames, Middlesex. His son was the artist Bernard Batchelor (1924-2012). His work is held by the V&A Museum as well as the British Museum - measurements 22.5 cm high x 15.5 cm wide My thanks to the British Museum for the second -part of the above text.

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