Norwich Castle may well have the grandeur and imposing architecture of a medieval fortress, but inside these robust walls is a gentler artistic side. Walk into the interior and you will find much more than display cases full of Norfolk history. Wander to one of the five art galleries and you can immerse yourself in visual vista by some of the world’s great artists. Although, perhaps ‘while in Rome’ opt for the Colman or East Anglian Painters Galleries. Here you find, like the names suggest, local artists who painted the Norfolk landscape generations ago. The Colman Gallery has a selection of the Norwich School of Artists, in fact it’s home to the world’s largest collection of works by artists of the Norwich School, a collective of three generations. This includes John Crome, or ‘Old Crome’ as he was known, and John Sell Cotman. The Norwich Society of Artists was founded in 1803 by John Crome and Robert Ladbrooke as a club for locals who could discuss ideas and concepts. The club’s aims were “an enquiry into the rise, progress and present state of painting, architecture, and sculpture, with a view to point out the best methods of study to attain the greater perfection in these arts.” As with many a club, the best meeting place is the local pub, and these creative artists were no exception. The society’s first meeting was in “The Hole in the Wall” tavern. Crome and Cotman are most well-known, but the club attracted quite a few local male artists. However, hidden in the who’s who of Norfolk painters there is also a single female hand, and what an artistic hand it was. Eloise Harriet Stannard (1829–1915) was a British 19th century painter known for her still life work. She was one of only two notable women artists associated with the Norwich School of painters, Britain’s first provincial art movement.
Eloise Harriet Stannard was born in Norwich, she was one of fourteen children of landscape painter and drawing teacher Alfred Stannard and Martha Stannard. Her uncle was the painter Joseph Stannard; both her father and her uncle were members of the Norwich School of painters, Britain’s first provincial art movement. Eloise and her aunt Emily Coppin Stannard (Joseph’s wife) would become the only two notable women artists associated with the Norwich School.
Her choice of subjects was mainly fruits—particularly foreign fruits, which were arranged in various baskets and bowls painted a monochrome background using natural light. Look carefully and you might just find small insects clambering over the fruit. Famous for her fine brushwork and multi layers of paint she created a characteristically luminous surface. Stannard is today considered one of Britain’s most gifted still life painters. Clearly her paintings have both taste and beauty.
