We consider an artist who broke with family tradition and followed his own road. #GeorgeOwenWynneApperley was born into a wealthy aristocratic Welsh military family in 1884. Family tradition destined him for military service. He was educated at Eagle House, Sandhurst and Uppingham School but George forwent his military education to study art at the Herkomer Academy (1903).

He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1904 and had his first solo show by 1906. Apperley was elected into the Royal Institute of Watercolour Artists in 1913 but ill health saw him move to Madrid, Spain and then Grenada (until 1933). He fled Spain at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and settled in Tangier, Morocco. Even with his absence, Spain awarded him a number of honours.

The watercolour, in my collection, is titled ‘Paissaje Tangerino‘ and shows a landscape near Tangier where Apperley lived from 1933 till his death in 1960. Whether it was a study for an oil painting or done ‘en plain air’ as a painting on it’s own, I do not know. It does show a nice use of colour and a deftness of brush stroke. I especially like the sky with it’s clouds. It is signed and date lower right on the face and again on the verso.