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After the war, he was unfit for his previous work and living on a weekly disablement pension of 8s (equivalent to £26 in 2023). With the encouragement of his wife, and despite having no formal art training, he painted a number of scenes of battlefields at night, featuring silhouetted soldiers. He
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force during the war. It was said that income from the sale rescued Mears and his wife from poverty and destitution—it was reported in the press that, before this, "one day they shared a kipper, another day they had a few potatoes".
282:, London, where he and his wife occupied "a room about 9ft by 6ft" with no bed, because they could not afford to buy one. Another address, written on the reverse of some of his works, was given as "Fern Villa, Markenfield Road,
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a picture of a shattered, splintered trees crying aloud ... against the horrors of it all, of dark sinister pools of mud, of a troubled sky, and of insignificant little crouching figures running across a shell-swept
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He signed his work "Gnr FJ Mears BEF", or "Gnr FJ Mears RGA BEF", but always wrote this upside down, explaining: "The whole of the World is upside down... Why then should my signature only be the right way up?".
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476:"Gunner F J Mears, First World War battle scene, original watercolour (Flying onions, looking towards Messines ridge)"
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Mears died in 1929, at the age of 38 or 39, due to the effects of the gas he had inhaled during the war.
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Art genius who paints in a garret. Lowly man's pictures bought by aristocracy. Dukes as customers.
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562:"Gunner F J Mears, First World War battle scene, original watercolour (The midst of battle)"
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worked in pencil or ink and watercolour, on paper, sometimes embellished with silver paint.
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Mears was born in 1890. Details of his life, including his full name, are scant.
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In May 1920 an exhibition of his work, at the George C. Clackner
Gallery at 20,
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693:"Brushes with War Exhibit at WWHAM – World War History & Art Museum"
441:. David Cohen Fine Art. Archived from the original on 27 November 2003.
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Mears' works are in public collections, including several at the
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That picture was advertised for sale in the window of a shop on
224:. Broken trees, a road disappearing towards the horizon, and
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His address was given in May 1920 as 13, Windmill Street,
744:"Authenticity over artistry: Brushes with War reviewed"
248:(Gough's successor), the American actress and singer
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One of Mears' paintings of a WW1 battlefield at night
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Originally a skilled metal worker, he served during
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312:A number of his paintings were included in the
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439:"Gunner F. J. Mears, Royal Garrison Artillery"
258:Gwendolen Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
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715:"Brushes with War: Art From The Front Line"
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314:Brushes with War: Art From The Front Line
578:"Art Genius who Paints in a Garret...".
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775:British Army personnel of World War I
742:Massie, Claudia (22 September 2018).
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254:John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley
110:(1890–1929) was a British soldier of
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695:. World War History & Art Museum
815:People from the City of Westminster
345:"'Gunner' F. J. Mears (1890–1929)"
318:Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
303:World War History & Art Museum
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825:Military personnel from Guildford
805:Royal Garrison Artillery soldiers
244:from 1916 to 1918, Major-General
240:, who had commanded the British
180:– note the upside-down signature
76:(–1917), metalworker
415:Other sources say "circa 1890".
309:and now a touring collection).
820:Military personnel from Surrey
401:. January 2020. Archived from
370:"Gunner F J Mears (1890–1929)"
118:Early life and military career
16:British soldier of WWI, artist
1:
790:20th-century British painters
564:. Nicholas Holloway Fine Art.
270:of 7 May 1920 was headlined:
547:. 1 August 2009. p. 21.
538:"Focus on: Gunner F J Mears"
478:. Nicholas Holloway Fine Art
139:British Expeditionary Force
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451:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
347:. Stephen Ongpin Fine Art
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211:Voluntary Aid Detachment
135:Royal Garrison Artillery
795:English watercolourists
201:and was bought by Dame
800:Artists from Guildford
662:51.242982°N 0.572667°W
614:51.518767°N 0.133712°W
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399:Abbott and Holder Ltd
372:. Babbington Fine Art
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720:The People's Friend
667:51.242982; -0.572667
619:51.518767; -0.133712
594:13 Windmill Street:
299:Imperial War Museums
280:Tottenham Court Road
810:World War I artists
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544:Western Daily Press
301:, and eight in the
141:. He saw action at
625:13 Windmill Street
522:Nottingham Journal
405:on 8 January 2020.
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205:, who had led the
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108:Gunner F. J. Mears
517:"Art in a Garret"
262:Nancy, Lady Astor
226:stretcher bearers
207:British Red Cross
137:, as part of the
129:with the rank of
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723:. 9 October 2018
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581:The Daily News
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264:. A review in
222:The Menin Road
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584:. 7 May 1920.
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525:. 7 May 1920.
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751:. Retrieved
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642:Fern Villa:
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349:. Retrieved
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238:Hubert Gough
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61:(aged 38–39)
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785:1929 deaths
780:1890 births
665: /
617: /
286:, Surrey".
250:Elsie Janis
127:World War I
112:World War I
25:F. J. Mears
769:Categories
753:16 January
727:14 January
699:14 January
673:Fern Villa
671: (
649:51°14′35″N
623: (
601:51°31′08″N
482:14 January
395:"The List"
376:14 January
351:14 January
324:References
242:Fifth Army
199:Piccadilly
178:Rouge Hill
151:poison gas
66:Occupation
53:1929
38:1890
652:0°34′22″W
604:0°08′01″W
284:Guildford
143:the Somme
447:cite web
153:attack.
145:and the
133:in the
74:soldier
70:Painter
293:Legacy
260:, and
131:gunner
94:
92:gunner
755:2020
729:2020
701:2020
484:2020
453:link
378:2020
353:2020
193:road
88:Rank
50:Died
35:Born
157:Art
771::
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449:}}
445:{{
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355:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
