Vivian Pitchforth RA (1895 - 1982)

Early Life and Education

British painter, lecturer and official WWII artist, Vivian Rowland Pitchforth was born Wakefield in 1895. He trained at Wakefield School of Art, Leeds College of Art, and the Royal College of Art (1922-1926). He went on to work in watercolours, later focusing on landscapes, seascapes and atmospheric artworks.

Teaching Career

Vivian Pitchforth was a lecturer at the Royal College of Art's relocation to Ambleside in the Lakes during the Second World War years when Arthur Berry was a student. He also taught alongside Raymond Coxon at the Chelsea School of Art.

War Artist Career

Pitchforth served in WWI with the Royal Artillery. He was appointed Official War Artist 1940-1945, and Admiralty War Artist in 1943 with the rank of Honorary Captain Royal Marines. He worked in Algiers, Morocco, Colombo, Rangoon, Durban, and Simonstown, creating important wartime documentation.

Artistic Practice and Legacy

From 1935 onwards, Pitchforth focused on en plein air watercolour studies of the English landscape. He was a member of the Modern Art Association, London Artist's Association, and London Group. Explore works like At Sea on the Western Approaches with Frederick John Walker c1944. He died in Chelsea in 1982 after a long and illustrious art career.