Ian Handford: The Torbay years of artist Tom Edwin Mostyn

Tom Edwin Mostyn - Another name from the past famous who lived here for many years before his death in 1930.

Tom Edwin Mostyn born in Liverpool in 1864 the son of artist Edwin Mostyn. He was educated in Liverpool and studied at Manchester Academy of Fine Arts where his earliest work was influenced by the anti -Victorian Materialist teacher Sir Hubert Von
Herkormer recognised as a “social realism teacher”.

Tom adopted his own painting style which depicted poverty among the working classes and views of the wealthy classes and
their often enchanting, colourful country gardens that later he would romanticise.

By age of 29 Tom’s early work had been seen on local display at exhibitions until now his work was exhibited by the Royal Academy in London, extra-ordinary progression for a still young man of the North. He amassed a staggering portfolio of romantic garden scenes and traditional Victorian paintings featuring the poorest in the working class and the rich of society with their large formal gardens, alongside thatched houses or cottages.

By 1800 even the “Magazine of Art” featured this new artist as an exhibitor in the City by saying “He is an illustrator of ideas and a painter of emotions, dealing with them with a firmness betraying a real knowledge of human nature” while not mentioning his
portraits of magnificent private and countryside gardens owned by the wealthy.

Tom was viewed by those truly appreciating art as being a young artist with real potential, being able to easily change his style from sumptuous Victorian gardens with colourful flowers in lush formal borders, to what other artists saw as creating or being a
“Master of the Baroque Still Life” while others viewed him as a “Chronicler of the British Landscape in Watercolour” while in Germany Curt Herrmann” said he was “A German Vanguard of Light and Colour”.

Long after his death in 1930 Tom would be remembered by these and other followers as a painter of “God’s back garden” or as one said, his paintings offered “a radiant, poetic counterpoint to the realities of his own time”. By changing style frequently some experts believed Tom was an “idealised almost spiritual vision of nature”- and in time he indeed became a Theosophist - ie achieved spiritual ecstasy.

The local Theosophist Lodge today is still in Park Road Torquay.

Throughout life would regularly paint religious scenes with what he described as “absolute sincerity” although just before the First World War started his work became deeply romantic and idealised and some noted that between 1911-1912 it was indeed his significant style.

Human figures were then included apparently due to a preference from his earlier work of painting just dreamlike landscapes, although the settings of those did include magnificent Victorian gardens of colour.

With WW1 over Mr Mostyn remained a quite unique artist and many viewed him as a “painter who masterfully captures an idealised almost spiritual vision of nature by creating immersive and emotionally resonant images”.

That style was appreciated by collectors and art lovers around the world and his now consistent use of truly vibrant colours and the incredible way in which he handled light was testament to his uniqueness and originality.

Mr Mostyn’s work was and is still exhibited at the Fine Art Society in the Royal Academy London. This Northerner eventually moved South to come and reside at Upper Headland Park Road Preston in Paignton sometime after 1918 and he remained here until his death in 1930.

On being contacted by Dr Michael Rhodes - who from 1992 was head of Torbay Museum Services based at Torre Abbey Art centre he was researching a Blue Plaque possibility in remembrance of this Paignton star. As an authority on Tom he confirmed the artist had married Florence Shaw when living in Manchester and they had produced three daughters - Marjorie, Dorothy and Enid who, like their father, were all artists.

Marjorie eventually married the man who founded St Ives School of art in Cornwall. Michael told me that Mr Mostyn was recognised by fellow artists as having “a distinct unique place in the art world” and he had left us with hundreds of Victorian and 20th century landscapes etc, in his unique style some said started an “artistic revolution”.

Researching this artist was difficult and I am indebted to Dr Rhodes for the personal information. Mr Mostyn was a much celebrated artist in his time and yet much of his work remains in Torbay, although his name is rarely recalled by our
populace.

Next week, we will be looking at Arthur B Askey (comedian).