Lionel Edwards was born in Clifton, the son of a doctor, this painter’s artistic talents came from his maternal Scottish grandmother, Ann Robertson, who was a pupil of Romney. He studied under A.S. Cope in South Kensington, at Heatherley’s and with Calderon. He was greatly impressed by the work of Aime Morot.
A keen hunting man, Lionel Edwards spent his life combining hunting and painting. Most of his pictures were worked from sketches made on the spot. In 1912 he followed in the footsteps of Crawhall and Armour visiting Tangier and Gibraltar. During the First World War he worked in the Army Remount Service.
For six years Lionel Edwards illustrated for The Graphic in London. He then moved to the country and was able to make a living painting sporting pictures and enjoying plenty of hunting. Many prints were produced after his paintings; the early ones were of a caricature type but as time progressed his work became more traditional. Lionel Edwards painted a series of pictures of named hunts entitled “Shires and Provinces” which were produced as limited edition prints. Watercolour was his favourite medium though he used oils more prequently in later life.
Lionel Edwards often signed with a monogram. His work was very sensitive, showing a superb understanding of horses coupled with a great ability to paint fine landscapes and skies. He also painted many portraits of racehorses and hunters.
After Sir Alfred Munnings, Lionel Edwards was probably the most important sporting artist of the hunting field of the first half of the 20th century.
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