Edward Seago: One-Man Exhibit in London

"Herringbone and Other Mares in a Paddock"
by Edward Seago

"Edward Seago's patroness Lady Evelyn Jones suggested that he should have a one-man exhibition in London for which she and another would underwrite any expense. However, Edward's father insisted that the financial responsibility was his. The Arlington Gallery in Old Bond Street was chosen, and on 25 November 1929, Sir Hereward Wake performed the official opening before a distinguished gathering mustered by Lady Evelyn, for which the press turned out in force.

They saw fifty-seven paintings, priced from £4 to £150 and ranging in subject from landscape to horse paintings and equestrian portraits. Twenty-three pictures were sold on the first day, representing takings of £184 18s., which was enough to send Edward's father rushing back to their home in a fever of excitement to collect more pictures and to encourage his son, when he returned from London after the first few days of the exhibition, to produce others to replace the diminishing stock.

But the painter, exhausted by the strain of a London debut, retired to bed suffering from pains in the head and contented himself with sending a couple of scribbled cartoons to his brother, one portraying himself in his studio painting with one hand and with the other passing a finished canvas through the door to his father's outstretched hand. The second cartoon showed him in bed languishing against the pillows with a bandage round his head. It was captioned, 'He that holdeth exhibitions in London, is not only in danger of hellfire, but of Neuralgia!'

As far as the critics were concerned they commented on the nineteen-year-old's 'extraordinary promise and natural instinct as a painter' while, almost unanimously, they decried his drawing ability. He himself confessed 'Of course I must learn to draw. I have colour and technique, but my horses are all wrong. Any critic would pull them to pieces,' and 'my education has been terribly neglected.' The critic from 'The Morning Post' recognized 'most encouraging signs of future development' and, added, 'as yet he is influenced by the art of the elder men, for instance, of Mr. A.J. Munnings and Mr. Wilson Steer. He could not seek advice from better painters.'

Edward never hesitated to act where any possible benefit to his work was concerned, and it seemed but a logical step for him to approach Munnings. In the small world of East Anglian horselovers, an introduction to the popular painter presented no problem and a portrait on loan to Seago's exhibition from Richard Bullard represented the key. Bullard often entertained Mr. and Mrs. Munnings at his home at Stoke Holy Cross, and it was most probably he who arranged the introduction."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Edward Seago: The Other Side of the Canvas" by Jean Goodman.)