River Arun, Littlehampton

A common subject matter in Bulmer's paintings is ports and seasides. This painting depicts the wharf at Littlehampton, and the swing-bridge over the River Arun. Bulmer and Green had lived in Littlehampton briefly, and this scene demonstrates the beginnings of Bulmer's interest in seaside scenes that would develop upon his relocation to Southwold.

One might associate such an industrial scene with dull and muted colours, but Bulmer has infused this work with life. The blue sky is bright and hazy; the water reflects the sky and tinges it lilac; the boats, buildings and bridge all add bursts of light blue, red, green, yellow and white to the image. The work consists of Bulmer's typical hazy style, particularly in regard to the sky and River Arun. A subtle stroke of genius, however, is apparent in the curved and receding perspective of the sea wall and train - only an incredibly skilled artist could have depicted such a difficult perspective to the level that Bulmer has in this painting.

Lionel Bulmer
Lionel Victor Bulmer was born in Wandsworth, London, in 1919 as the son of an architect. He attended Clapham Art School in 1937, but his study was cut short when he was conscripted into the military at the start of the Second World War. Bulmer continued to paint and draw in his spare time, before returning to painting full time when the war finished. He was accepted to the Royal College of Art - which, at this time, had been relocated to the Lake District - where he met Margaret Green, who would later become his wife in 1991.

At the Royal College of Art, Bulmer studied under Ruskin Spear, Charles Mahoney and Carel Weight. When the institution moved back to London, Bulmer and Green followed, although they soon embarked upon travels through France and Ireland courtesy of a scholarship that Green had won. Both Bulmer and Green became teachers at art schools to fund their careers, with Bulmer teaching at Kingston School of Art. During this time, Bulmer exhibited at Leicester Galleries, the Royal Academy, the New English Art Club and the Royal Watercolour Society.

Eventually, the two moved to West Suffolk, and it was this landscape that became immensely inspiring to the art of Bulmer and Green. Aldeburgh, Southwold and Walberswick were particularly striking, and feature in many of their works.

Lionel Bulmer passed away in February of 1992, the year after he married Margaret Green. Messum’s Fine Art organised two retrospective exhibitions in 2002, one focusing on Bulmer’s works of Walberswick and the other on both him and Green.