|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
|
Aviation Art Prints  Aviation Artists  Robert Taylor |
[UP] - Ivan Berryman - Robert Taylor - Stan Stokes - Nicolas Trudgian - David Pentland - Philip West - Gerald Coulson - Graeme Lothian - Anthony Saunders - Keith Woodock - Robert Tomlin - Michael Rondot - Brian Bateman - Barry Price - Geoff Lea - Keith Aspinall - John Young - M A Kinnear - Michael Turner - Robin Smith - More Artists - Artist Lists by Title |
| More Pages : Royal Air Force - Luftwaffe - US Air Force - Civilian Aircraft - Modern Aircraft - More Aircraft |
| Robert Taylor |
|
The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art over a quarter of a century. His paintings of aircraft, more than those of any other artist, have helped popularise a genre which at the start of this remarkable artist's career had little recognition in the world of fine art. When he burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s his vibrant, expansive approach to the subject was a revelation. His paintings immediately caught the imagination of enthusiasts and collectors alike . He became an instant success. As a boy, Robert seemed always to have a pencil in his hand. Aware of his natural gift from an early age, he never considered a career beyond art, and with unwavering focus, set out to achieve his goal. Leaving school at fifteen, he has never worked outside the world of art. After two years at the Bath School of Art he landed a job as an apprentice picture framer with an art gallery in Bath, the city where Robert has lived and worked all his life. Already competent with water-colours the young apprentice took every opportunity to study the works of other artists and, after trying his hand at oils, quickly determined he could paint to the same standard as much of the art it was his job to frame. Soon the gallery was selling his paintings, and the owner, recognising Roberts talent, promoted him to the busy picture-restoring department. Here, he repaired and restored all manner of paintings and drawings, the expertise he developed becoming the foundation of his career as a professional artist. Picture restoration is an exacting skill, requiring the ability to emulate the techniques of other painters so as to render the damaged area of the work undetectable. After a decade of diligent application, Robert became one of the most capable picture restorers outside London. Today he attributes his versatility to the years he spent painstakingly working on the paintings of others artists. After fifteen years at the gallery, by chance he was introduced to Pat Barnard, whose military publishing business happened also to be located in the city of Bath. When offered the chance to become a full-time painter, Robert leapt at the opportunity. Within a few months of becoming a professional artist, he saw his first works in print. Roberts early career was devoted to maritime paintings, and he achieved early success with his prints of naval subjects, one of his admirers being Lord Louis Mountbatten. He exhibited successfully at the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and soon his popularity attracted the attention of the media. Following a major feature on his work in a leading national daily newspaper he was invited to appear in a BBC Television programme. This led to a string of commissions for the Fleet Air Arm Museum who, understandably, wanted aircraft in their maritime paintings. It was the start of Roberts career as an aviation artist. Fascinated since childhood by the big, powerful machines that man has invented, switching from one type of hardware to another has never troubled him. Being an artist of the old school, Robert tackled the subject of painting aircraft with the same gusto as with his large, action-packed maritime pictures - big compositions supported by powerful and dramatic skies, painted on large canvases. It was a formula new to the aviation art genre, at the time not used to such sweeping canvases, but one that came naturally to an artist whose approach appeared to have origins in an earlier classical period. Roberts aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. He somehow manages to convey all the technical detail of aviation in a traditional and painterly style, reminiscent of the Old Masters. With uncanny ability, he is able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists ever manage to achieve. This is partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real! Roberts aviation works have drawn crowds in the international arena since the early 1980s. He has exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC was hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the worlds great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world. A family man with strong Christian values, Robert devotes most of what little spare time he has to his home life. Married to Mary for thirty five years, they have five children, all now grown up. Neither fame nor fortune has turned his head. He is the same easy-going, gentle character he was when setting out on his painting career all those years ago, but now with a confidence that comes with the knowledge that he has mastered his profession. Sadly he passed away in January 2024.
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 10 of 13 | Previous .. Page 10 .. Next |
| Robert Taylor Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 10 of 13 | Previous .. Page 10 .. Next |
| Text for the above items : |
JG-52 by Robert Taylor. It was the foundation upon which the Luftwaffe was built and flew throughout WWII. It was flown by some of the greatest fighter Aces of all time, and credited with more air victories than any other fighter in history. It was the Messerschmitt Bf109. One of the finest fighter aircraft ever to take to the skies, the Bf109 was flown by the Luftwaffe's greatest Aces - men like Hartmann, Galland, Rall, Reinert and Krupinski. |
Bitter Engagement by Robert Taylor. Just after midday on 27 September 1940 one of the bitterest engagements of the Battle of Britain took place in the skies over Kent when the Spitfires of 19 Squadron took on the Bf109s of JG54. In the huge dogfight that ensued, 19 Squadron claimed 8 enemy aircraft destroyed. |
Battle of the Coral Sea by Robert Taylor. Commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea, Robert Taylor has chosen to portray the sinking of the Shoho in this dramatic painting. When Commander Weldon Hamilton, leading one of the Lexington's Dauntless squadrons, spotted the Shoho at 1040 on the morning of May 4th 1942, the Japanese carrier's fate was sealed. Within minutes she was hit by the full force of the Lexington's dive bombers and torpedo aircraft, aided by the Yorktown's attack group. Smothered by a dozen bomb and seven torpedo hits, she was sunk within thirty minutes of the first sighting. |
Top Cover by Robert Taylor. Flying escort missions was no soft option for fighter pilots. Supporting bombers en-route to important strategic targets almost guaranteed interception by enemy fighters, and the great bomber air raids over enemy occupied Europe brought about some of the most ferociously fought dog-fights of the war. Though regarded as the best defencive fighter ever built, the Spitfire flew in most fighter roles in almost every theatre of WWII. It equipped many squadrons such as the RAF's number 610 Squadron, which flew this outstanding fighter in various marks, throughout the war. Having contested the Battle of Britain flying Mark Is, 610 became part of Douglas Bader's famous Tangmere Wing in 1941 with the Mark Vb. As part of top-scoring Johnnie Johnson's with Canadian Wing in 1943, the squadron was equipped with the Mark IX - the best of all Spitfire Marks according to the great wing leader - getting the better of the Luftwaffe's new Fw190 in the great air battles leading up to the Normandy Landings in 1944. In 1944 the squadron received 90 gallon drop tanks for their new Mark XIV Spitfires and began long range sweeps over Germany. Robert Taylor's emotive painting Top Cover recalls an event from this period. Led by Tony Gaze, on 6th October 1944, his flight of 610 Squadron Spitfires have picked up a severely damaged Halifax over Holland as it lumbers homeward after an attack on synthetic oil plants in Germany. Two crew members have been ordered by skipper Ted McGindle to depart the ailing bomber by parachute while he struggles on with other crew members too badly wounded to escape. Top cover provided by 610's Spitfires ensured this 462 Squadron Halifax made it home on that October day. |
Fight for the Sky by Robert Taylor. All through the long hot summer of 1940 they crossed the Channel from stolen bases in northern France, coming in mighty swarms to deliver their deadly cargo. Bombers and dive-bombers, single-seat fighters and fast twin-engined attack aircraft, their menacing shapes glinting with swastikas and black crosses, blackening the summer sky. Over 3000 aircraft were at the disposal of the boastful Luftwaffe supremo, Hermann Goering. Within just a matter of weeks, he promised Hitler, the RAF would be annihilated, allowing the invasion of Britain to proceed unhindered, and Britain would become the final piece of the jigsaw giving Nazi domination throughout Europe. Against the might of German airpower stood less than 600 Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, and as many young pilots determined to the man to defend their homeland. And so commenced the battle that was to develop into the greatest aerial conflict in history. Always outnumbered, often flying six sorties a day, the RAF's young fighter boys flew themselves to the point of exhaustion. Pilot losses forced desperate squadron commanders to take youngsters into combat, some with just a few hours on fighters. They flew and fought like tigers and they paid a heavy price, but never did they lose their spirit. Robert Taylor's wonderfully realistic painting captures the very essence of that epic battle. A Heinkel 111 has been brought down, one of many never to make it home on this bright and sunny day. As the Luftwaffe bomber's crew emerge from their broken aircraft, relieved to have survived the crash-landing, a Mk I Spitfire from No.66 Squadron roars low overhead to verify another victory. In the distance, Hurricanes from No 56 Squadron hurry back to North Weald to refuel and rearm. High above the battle rages, the vapour trails telling their own story. |
Rising Sun by Robert Taylor. Rising Sun is normally a companion print to The Legend of Colin Kelly. |
Abbeville Boys by Robert Taylor. Adolf Gallands Fighter Wing JG-26 (Me109s) taking off to do combat with R.A.F. Spitfires and Hurricanes. If ever a fighter commander led the front, Adolf Galland did. He flew throughout the war, achieving over 100 air victories all on the Western Front aginst the top aces of the RAF and the USAAF, and when the end came he was still flying and fighting, leading a wing of Me262 jets. Perhaps the most memorable period of the war for Adolf Galland came after he took command of the III/JG-26 fighter wing in June 1940. In true fashion he scored two aerial victories on his first day and in no time transformed JG-26 Schlageter into an elite formation that became known as the Abbeville Boys. Robert Taylor has recreated a scene from those heady days in 1941, when the Abbeville boys were at the height of their reputation, doing daily combat with the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAF. Adolf Galland leads his pilots in a typical loose formation take-off, the Messerschmitt Bf109F fighters roaring across the runway for yet another clash with the foe. The Abbeville boys are on the Warpath! |
Ace of Aces by Robert Taylor. Depicting the legendary Ace Erich Hartmann in the distinctive colour scheme of his Bf109-G aircraft. The highest scoring Ace in history with 352 confirmaed victories, he was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Sword and Diamonds. This print was published in 1988 and has been sold out for many years. We have one secondary market copy available, number 110 of the edition of 1250. The print was framed from new and hung in a corridor, out of sunlight. As a result, the colours are strong, not faded, and the signatures are good. There is some damage to the border areas and some slight rippling, caused by being framed for such a long period of time. This is reflected in the price at which the print is offered. |
After the Battle by Robert Taylor. No text for this item |
Battle of Britain VC by Robert Taylor. Eric Nicolson, the only pilot of the Battle of Britain to be awarded the Victoria Cross, scrambles out of his stricken 249 Squadron Hurricane. Fired on by an Me110, he was wounded in the head and foot, and his engine was ablaze. After clambering out of the machine, he saw another enemy aircraft and was able to clamber back into the cockpit, and fire upon the aircraft, destroying it. Once again he clambered out of his burning aircraft and parachuted to eventual safety. |
Birth of a Legend by Robert Taylor. On November 5, 1942, flying wingman in a Schwarm of four Me109s of JG-52, his flight had scrambled to intercept Russian Lagg-3s and IL-2 fighter-bombers bound for the Front. Splitting into two elements they dived steeply into attack, screaming in behind and below the enemy aircraft a few hundred feet off the deck. Selecting on of the IL-2s, the rookie pilot closed at high speed, commencing firing with 20mm cannon from about two hundred feet. His first pass was unsuccessful but, undeterred, Hartmann zoomed up and dived over for a second run at the Russian machine. Holding his fire till the IL-2 filled his gun-sight, he drilled cannon shells into the oil-cooling system setting the enemy aircraft on fire. Closing rapidly from behind, Hartmanns Me109 was showered with debris from the doomed Russian plane, causing an explosion in the young pilots own aircraft, which immediately caught fire. Now at very low altitude, Hartmann had no alternative but to belly in. With great presence of mind he cut power, fuel and ignition switches as he crash-landed at high speed in a massive cloud of dirt and dust. Though he lost his aircraft, Hartmann had made his first kill, the IL-2 crashing with a resounding explosion a few miles distant. Unhurt, the young future Ace was picked up and returned to base almost immediately by a German car. And thus a legend was born: It was the first of 352 air victories that would make Hartmann the top scoring fighter pilot in history. Birth of a Legend, set in the picturesque Caucasus mountain region bathed in the golden hues of autumn, captures for posterity the dramatic moments that launched the career of a fighter pilot legend. |
Bombers Moon by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Escort for the Straggler by Robert Taylor. On April 25th 1945, the RAF despatched over 300 Lancasters to attack The Eagles Nest, Hitlers private mountain top castle at Berchstegaden. It was a symbolic raid, for the war was almost over, but it seemed appropriate that, after almost six years of continual combat, crews of the Royal Air Force should be allowed this almost final gesture of the air war in Europe. After the Spitfires and Hurricanes of Hugh Dowdings Fighter Command had won the Battle of Britain, and gained vital air supremacy, Arthur Harris Bomber Forces were able to mount the systematic devastation of Germanys mighty war machine, which in turn paved the way for the D-Day invasion, and the final liberation of Nazi dominated Europe. The Lancaster had become the mainstay of RAF Bomber Command, and its crews were typically representative of the men who had fought the six year aerial campaign in Europe. Every one a volunteer, they came from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Rhodesia, and many European countries under the threat of Nazi rule. Magnificently brave, they endured overwhelming odds, frightening losses, and some of the worst flying conditions imaginable, never flinching in their task until victory was finally achieved. Their valiant efforts, together with the legendary exploits of the pilots of RAF Fighter Command, led the way towards Victory in Europe. Two aircraft, above all others, came to symbolise the deeds of the men and machines of the Royal Air Force : the Spitfire, magnificent in defence, lethal in attack, and the mighty Lancaster, the awesome heavy bomber that took the war to the heart of Nazi Germany. |
Broken Silence by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Climbing Out by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Coming Home by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Coming Home Together by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Concorde Formation by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Crewing Up by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Dambusters by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
Duel of Eagles by Robert Taylor. Douglas Bader is shown in combat with Adolf Galland. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
|
|
