Why have we not heard of him prior to this week?! John Frederick Greenwood (1885-1954) was born in Rochdale – Justin’s home town.
He was a woodcut artist, copperplate engraver, etcher, illustrator and water-colourist (signing his works ‘John F. Greenwood’).
He studied at Shipley and Bradford Schools of Art (1904-08) and at the Royal College of Art in London (1908-11).
For a short while, Greenwood taught at Batley School of Art before moving on to Battersea Polytechnic (1912-27), Bradford School of Art (1927-37) and was Head of the Design School at Leeds College of Art until his retirement in 1948. Greenwood died in Ilkley in 1954.
In 1982, an exhibition entitled Wood Engravings and Woodcuts by John F. Greenwood and his Contemporaries was held at Bradford Art Galleries and Museums.
He beautifully illustrated a number of books including Twenty-Four Woodcuts of Cambridge, A Short History of Ely Cathedral, A Short History of St. Mary’s, Hitchin. In 1952, he authored his own book, The Dales Are Mine, copies of which are currently available on Abe Books and Amazon.
Examples of his work is in the collections of the Ashmolean, Bradford Museums and Galleries, Brooklyn Museum, Leeds Art Gallery and the V&A.
Image credits:
Annex galleries |
Peter Riede©