Biographies

Charles Pears (1873 – 1958) He was born at Pontrefract and educated at East Hardwick, both of which are in Yorkshire. He exhibited with both the Royal Academy and the New English Art Club, showing mainly marine paintings, and he was an official naval artist in both World Wars. Ezra Pound, writing as B. H. Dias, had this to say about his work in 1919: One R.M. is obviously worth two hundred and eighty s. Pears greets one in the corridor with excellent clean pastels (Note 305). In Room III we find his oil work, clean, conscientious, with a drive for veracity, the work of a man who has seen the sea; who has had his eye on the object; who has set out to put down various effects of sea and light which might be considered rather incredible. There is hard light on ; and veracity in 129, the best painting of ships I nave yet seen. (Note 133.) He has thought about his work R.A. Thunderstorm, Harwich dazzle (“R.M.” appears to be an error for R. N.–Royal Navy. “R.A.” refers to the Royal Academy.) (NA 24.15:240)