Unique rural spirit in Horsham artist’s work

Horsham Museum & Art Gallery Friend Rick Domas looks at the work of a Horsham artist whose work is part of the Museum collection. Rick will be giving a talk on July 30 to the Friends about these and other paintings in the collection.

Early on in preparing for my talk ‘Watercolours in the Horsham Museum Collection’, I knew one artist to be included: Dr Geoffrey Sparrow.

I was aware of his artwork from the gallery recently dedicated to Dr Sparrow’s distinctive and eclectic artwork in the museum archives.

Dr Geoffrey Sparrow (1887–1969) was a distinguished country doctor and talented amateur artist who spent much of his life here in Horsham.

He served with distinction in World War I as a medical officer, earning the Military Cross, and again in World War II. Upon retiring from medicine, he focused more fully on his artistic pursuits.

Dr Sparrow is especially known for his humorous and affectionate depictions of country life, hunting, and local characters and scenes, often rendered in etching, aquatint, and watercolour.

His style is similar to the 18th and 19th century satirists Thomas Rowlandson and John Leech, and his work captures a uniquely English rural spirit.

Horsham Museum holds a significant collection of his work, and in 2012 it mounted a major retrospective exhibition titled ‘A Host of Sparrows’, made possible in part by acquisitions supported by the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.

The show brought renewed attention to his vivid, characterful portrayals of Sussex life.

He must have been an avid horseman and hunter as so many of his drawings and watercolours depict horses and hunting scenes.

He also seemed fascinated with Horsham streetscapes, depicting many envisioned historically as well as presently. He even depicts Market Square sans Court House!

The presentation ‘Watercolours in the Horsham Museum Collection’ is scheduled for Wednesday, 30 July, 2pm, in the lounge of the Cornerstone Methodist Church, London Road, Horsham. Admission price is £5, refreshments included.