Pears painted every part of the painting with equal care. In the background two sailing ships can be seen coming round the promenade, with the sun glistening off their sails.

This painting exemplifies the passion which Pears held for the sea and the beach, the artist’s brush in perfect service of the moment, its expressive power capturing forever the quintessence of colour and movement.

The Artist

Born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, he studied nearby at East Hardwick and Pomfret College, where he started a lifelong appreciation of Canaletto. Active from 1890, he worked as an illustrator throughout his career.

Pears is best known as a marine painter, where he often signed his work as Chas Pears. Pears was the first elected President of the Society of Marine Artists. His works were exhibited from 1904 to 1939 in London having moved there, and he also wrote a number of books on small boat cruising.

A commissioned officer in the Royal Marines during the First World War, Pears worked also worked as an official War Artist during both the First and Second World Wars. His Second World War poster entitled “MV San Demetrio gets home” was commissioned by the Post Office Savings Bank, with the original artwork presently part of the collection of the National Maritime Museum.

In 1930s, he continued both his marine painting and poster work and became in demand from railway companies for tourism posters. He wrote several books on sailing and was a keen sailor himself.