Henry Allan (painter)
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Henry Allan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 June 1865 |
| Died | 2 September 1912 (aged 47) |
| Known for | Painting |
Henry Allan (18 June 1865 – 2 September 1912) was an Irish painter.
He was born at Retreat House, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, the youngest son of William and Anne Allan. He studied art in Belfast and Dublin, and continued his art education in Antwerp, alongside contemporary Richard Moynan. He won multiple prizes at the Antwerp Academy as well as the Taylor Prize at the Royal Dublin Society.[1]
The gallery's website notes that the style of this work, shows the influence of his training in Antwerp with influences from the Hague School.[2]
Early life in Ireland
Henry Allan was born 18 June 1865 at Retreat House, Dundalk, County Louth.[3] He was the youngest son of William and Anne Allan. William Allan was a distiller in Bachelor’s Walk in Dundalk, while Anne Allan was the daughter of Rev. Solomon Browne, who was a Presbyterian minister in Castledawson in County Londonderry. Allan began his training as an artist in Belfast and Dublin.[4][5] Between 1882 and 1883, he studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art alongside artist, Roderic O’Conor.[3] O’Conor is considered as one of the best Irish artists and his work is on display across various museums worldwide.[6]
Years in Antwerp (1884-1888)
At eighteen years of age, in May 1884, Allan enrolled in a summer course at the Académie Royale in Antwerp, Belgium. He was joined by O’Conor and Richard T. Moynan[3] who also studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, however he studied there in 1879 prior to Allan.[7] While in Antwerp, Allan shared lodgings with other Irish students such as Moynan and Edwin Hill near the college at no.15 Mutsaerstraat, later moving to no.19.[8] There was a large presence of young Irish artists at the academy in the 1880s, which enabled Allan to work alongside other artists such as Dermod O’Brien. Vincent van Gogh was briefly a student at the Académie Royale between 1885 and early 1886.[4] Van Gogh wrote a letter in English while in Paris in 1886 to English painter H. M. Livens which was incorrectly dated as 1887, and refers to Livens as 'Levens'. In this letter, he asked to be remembered to 'Allan', and the index to The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh states 'H. Allan.', likely referring to Henry Allan.[3] Allan returned to Ireland in 1888 as opposed to many of his Irish colleagues in Antwerp who went on to pursue painting in France.[4]
