Calver Cottages, Derbyshire by Stanley Royle, drawing in pencil

Stanley Royle RBA, RCA (1888–1961)

Calver Cottages c.1923

Drawing in pencil

12 x 13.5 cm

Stanely Royal Archives Label verso

Stanley Royle (1888–1961) was an English landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his dramatic depictions of landscapes, seascapes, and snowy scenes. Born in Stalybridge, Cheshire, he studied at the Sheffield Technical School of Art from 1904, where he was strongly influenced by his tutor, Oliver Senior, and later by Sir George Clausen. Royle began his career as an illustrator and designer for local newspapers before exhibiting professionally in 1911. His reputation grew when three of his paintings were accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1913. He spent much of his life in Sheffield and later taught in Canada, drawing inspiration from the natural landscapes of both countries.

This drawing in one of many he did of Calver village in Derbyshire. His distinctive linear vertical sketching style seems very modern and graphic and attests to his early career as an illustrator. His large panoramic oils of Sheffield are currently on display at Weston Park Museum’s Picturing Sheffield exhibition displayed in their Gordon Bridge Gallery.