George clausen biography

Introduction

Self-portrait in pen and ink, by Sir George Clausen, 1895. © National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 3041).

George Clausen was born in London on 18 April 1852, the son of Jurgen Johnsen Clausen, a "decorative painter" of Danish origins, and his Scottish wife, Elizabeth.

Following in his father's footsteps, he first trained as a draughtsman in the office of the important London builder's and decorator's, George Trollope & Sons.

George clausen biography

He would regret, later on, that any distinction should be drawn "between painting which is decorative and painting which is pictorial ... for all pictures should decorate the walls or places on which they are placed" (19). Be that as it may, the young Clausen had a drawing tutor as well, and won a scholarship to the National Art Training School, setting out in a rather different direction from his father.

Other early influences were a period in the studio of the classical painter, Edwin Long (1829–1891); the time he spent copying works by