Happiness with paws from Herbert Dixie (35 photos)

Animal art is not only a fairly widespread art direction, but also the oldest. But not all masters are able to create truly impressive – touching and realistic paintings.





Herbert Thomas Dixie (06/14/1862 – 02/20/1942) was a British painter whose origins left him no choice. Herbert's family - his father, uncle and cousin Frank Bernard Dixie, who headed the Royal Academy - were artists.



Herbert Thomas Dixie

Herbert studied art at the capital's school. After completing his studies, he began to write, specializing mainly in dogs, in particular, Scottish deerhounds - deerhounds. But among the works there are also representatives of felines - predators, which he painted at the London Zoo.

The process of creating mezzotint

Many of Dixie's paintings were painted from life using his own pets, which he adored. In addition to oil paintings, the author created works using the mezzotint technique - a type of tone engraving on metal intaglio printing, in which the image is created not by lines and strokes, but by smooth tonal transitions.



Gladys Cooper

During the war, the painter often turned to the theme of sadness, depicting sad girls in the company of dogs. Dixie's main model was British actress Gladys Cooper.



Dorothy Dixie, portrait painted by her uncle Frank Dixie

In his marriage to Ella Crump, Herbert had a son and a daughter. Maurice died during the First World War, and Dorothy, who followed in her father's footsteps, became the artist's executor. And after his death in 1942, she destroyed most of the engravings in accordance with Dixie's will.

Dixie's works - paintings and engravings - have not lost their relevance in our time and are very popular among collectors and dog lovers.