Gwilym Prichard

Welsh landscape painter (1931–2015)

Gwilym Prichard

Born|

Gwilym Arifor Prichard

(1931-03-04)4 March 1931

Llanystumdwy, Wales

Died| 7 June 2015(2015-06-07) (aged 84)

Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Nationality| Welsh
Education| Birmingham College of Art
Known for| Landscape
Elected| Royal Cambrian Academy

Gwilym Arifor Prichard (né Pritchard; 4 March 1931 – 7 June 2015) was a Welsh landscape painter.

## Early life

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Born in the village of Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, Gwynedd, he studied at Bangor Normal College (1951-3) before moving on to Birmingham College of Art, before becoming a teacher in Anglesey. He married fellow artist Claudia Williams in 1953, and altered the spelling of his surname when he discovered that there was another painter of the same name.[1] Their son, Ceri Pritchard, is a painter.[2]

## Style

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Noted for his "dramatic and colourful" depictions of "dense, craggy, often formidable landscapes" with "a three-dimensional quality",[1] Prichard's paintings "managed to display his joy in the richness and beauty of his native land".[3] He started to become successful during the 1960s, and in 1970 he was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy.[3]

## Professional life

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After leaving paid employment in the early 1970s, he became a full-time painter. In the early 1980s the couple began travelling through Europe, living for periods in Skiathos, Greece and Rochefort-en-Terre, Brittany, before settling in Pembrokeshire in 1999.[4] Prichard was awarded the silver medal by the Société Académique des Arts-Sciences-Lettres de Paris in 1995, and was an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales.[3] In later years he was regarded as the senior living Welsh landscape painter.[5] A major exhibition of his work was held in Cardiff in 2013,[6] and a monograph detailing his work, A Lifetime's Gazing, was published the same year.[7][4]

## Death

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Prichard died at his home in Tenby June 7, 2015.[3]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Book review: Gwilym Prichard, Claudia Williams: A perfect picture of when love and art collide", The Independent, 22 September 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015
2. ^ "Painter Ceri Pritchard returns to Wales to exhibit work". BBC News. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
3. ^ a b c d Gwilym Prichard, Martin Tinney Gallery. Retrieved 7 June 2015
4. ^ a b Karen Price, "Capturing Wales: One of our best-loved artists is celebrated with a new book and major exhibition", WalesOnline, 22 April 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015
5. ^ "Renowned landscape artist Gwilym Prichard dies", BBC News, 7 June 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015
6. ^ "Artist Gwilym Prichard's exhibition opens in Cardiff", BBC News, 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015
7. ^ Amy McCauley, Review of Gwilym Prichard: A Lifetime’s Gazing by Harry Heuser and Robert Meyrick, New Welsh Review, issue 100, 2013 Archived 30 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 June 2015

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States