Walter Sickert

Happy Birthday Walter Sickert!! Born in 1860, Sickert is regarded the most important British Impressionist painter. He was born in Germany; his father was an artist and the family relocated to Great Britain. Sickert was greatly influenced by Whistler and Degas, but developed his own Impressionistic style, using rather dark, somber tones with light bursting forth. Unlike most Impressionist artists, he had no interest in painting outdoors, concentrating instead on nudes and seedy night life. In fact he had an interest in Jack the Ripper and some have made outrageous claims implicating Sickert in the murders or at least an accomplice! Among his accusers is well-known author Patricia Cornwell, who actually bought up 31 of his paintings to search for clues. The painting below exemplifies his style.