Roger Desoutter | Maritime painter

Roger Charles Desoutter RSMA (1923-2020) was a prominent British marine and landscape painter recognized for his highly detailed, atmospheric depictions of sailing ships, coastal waters and rural scenes.

Balancing technical accuracy with a profound appreciation for natural light, he became a regular exhibitor and respected member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA).

Born and educated at Mill Hill Desoutter went on to obtain a degree in engineering at Loughborough; after which he was chosen, in 1942, to join the team of Sir Frank Whittle, engaged in the design and development of the first jet engines, which occupied him until 1945.

Most of his spare time during this period was making sketches in pen and ink, and pastels, as well as producing technical drawings for engineering publications.

He had to abandon all hopes of a full-time artistic career in 1947, when the unexpected death of his father necessitated his joining the family engineering business of which he is now Chairman.

He married in 1950, and was encouraged by his wife to devote all his spare moments to the study of oil painting, resulting in a number of his works being exhibited and sold for the first time at the Guildhall Annual Exhibition of the Society of Aviation Artists in 1955.

In the years to come, Desoutter sought to extend his talents in painting and turned his attentions from aeronautical studies to encompass landscape and marine subjects.

Inspiration for many of his landscapes was drawn from his experiences as a child spent with his French parents, his grandfather originally emigrated from Normandy in 1888.

He was greatly affected by the feeling of space and the endless vistas of the flat countryside, and tall sentinel rows of poplars lining the avenues that wound away to the horizon.

Roger Charles Desoutter (1923-2020) è stato un celebre pittore ed ingegnere Britannico, noto a livello internazionale soprattutto come membro di spicco della Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA).

Le sue opere si concentrano principalmente su soggetti marittimi storici e contemporanei, paesaggi costieri e studi aeronautici.

Il suo background ingegneristico si riflette nell'incredibile accuratezza con cui dipingeva i dettagli delle navi, dei sartiami e delle strutture meccaniche.

Nel 1962 acquistò una barca diventando un velista dilettante.

Questa esperienza diretta in mare ha trasformato la sua arte, spingendolo a specializzarsi in marine e scene costiere.

È particolarmente apprezzato per i suoi paesaggi costieri e fluviali dipinti all'alba, al tramonto o al chiaro di luna (es. Greenwich by Moonlight, Sundown), caratterizzati da ampie distese di sabbia bagnata e riflessi di luce.

I suoi paesaggi campestri, spesso dominati da grandi pioppi e prospettive sconfinate, richiamano i ricordi d'infanzia legati alle origini francesi della sua famiglia (originaria della Normandia).