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Henry Scott Tuke

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Artist

The Resume

    (June 12, 1858-March 13, 1929)
    Born in York, England, United Kingdom
    Best known for paintings of nude male adolescents
    Also painted maritime themes and portraits
    Paintings include 'The Bathers' (1888), 'August Blue' (1893), 'Ruby, Gold and Malachite' (1902), 'Noonday Heat' (1903) and 'Two Boys on a Beach' (1909)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a child prodigy.
    His paintings of young male nudes were controversial enough that art dealer Martin Colnaghi withdrew financial support for the New English Artists Circle that Tuke was a founding member of.
    His paintings had largely gone out of fashion by the time of his death.
    His nudes so overshadowed his other paintings that attendees at his memorial exhibit 'expressed surprise at the range of his work, having always regarded him merely as the painter of bathers.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    His paintings of nudes avoided explicitness (his subjects were usually seen from the back, or their genitals were covered by an object or hidden in shadow), with a critic describing the results as 'sensual rather than sexual.'
    The Oxford Dictionary of Art described his paintings as 'among the finest and most individual works of English Impressionism.'
    He was elected to the Royal Academy of Art (1914).
    In his will, he left generous sums to the young men who had posed for him.
    His works were rediscovered in the 1970s as he emerged as a cult figure in gay cultural circles.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying