The Artist who Lived in the Woods
AUTHOR:
Kimberly Glassman
Richard Cockle Lucas, a renowned wax modeller and sculptor, surprised the art world by leaving urban life to live in the woods.
Did you know that in 1858, The British Museum paid £25 for Richard Cockle Lucas’ (1800-1883) “Facsimiles of Nature from the Valley, the Forest, the Field, and the Garden” shortly after the nature-printing project was finished?
In today’s money, that would have been around £3,670! And they only purchased one of the albums with 300 nature prints, the rest were scattered and sold around the world. What made this new publication so special? Lucas had exhibited in the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and became well known as one of the foremost wax modellers of the era, as well as an exceptional sculptor. But Lucas left his artistic city life to live in a house he built for himself in the woods in his ambition to combine art with nature.
To this day, people are captivated by the artistic composition of his nature prints and captivated by his chosen life in the woods.
In today’s money, that would have been around £3,670! And they only purchased one of the albums with 300 nature prints, the rest were scattered and sold around the world. What made this new publication so special? Lucas had exhibited in the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and became well known as one of the foremost wax modellers of the era, as well as an exceptional sculptor. But Lucas left his artistic city life to live in a house he built for himself in the woods in his ambition to combine art with nature.