He depicted the harsh realities of life - social realist painter Thomas Benjamin Kennington

Hello Dear Steemit Friends ! Today I would like to present you an English portrait and genre painter Thomas Benjamin Kennington (1856 - 1916). Although Kennington saw himself primarily as a painter of beauty and well-protected everyday life, he found it an urgent need to capture the plight of the poor in his paintings.

'' Orphans '', oil on canvas , Tate Gallery , Image Source

'' Contemplation '', oil on canvas , Image Source

As the founder and first secretary of the New English Art Club, Kennington offered the artists excluded from the Royal Academy the opportunity to present their works to the public. The opportunity to exhibit here was also used by these painters who did not agree with the Academy's elite supremacy.

'' The Siesta of Diana '', oil on canvas , Image Source

'' Lady Reading By A Window '', oil on canvas , Image Source

Thomas Benjamin Kennington was born on April 7, 1856 in the English port of Grimsby. He first studied at the Liverpool School of Art, then moved to the South Kensington School of Art before finishing his studies at the Academy Julian. Kennington worked as a freelance painter, creating peaceful and beautiful everyday life as well as images of the hard life of the poor in the UK. Since 1880 Kennington regularly participated in exhibitions of the Royal Academy in London and won in 1889 finally a bronze medal.
Despite his own, rather pleasant life, the artist had never ceased to campaign for the disadvantaged people in his environment. On December 10, 1916, Thomas Benjamin Kennington died at the age of 59 in London.

'' The pinch of poverty '', oil on canvas , Art Gallery of South Australia , Image Source

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