Alfred East became ARA in 1899, and a full Royal Academician in the year of his death. He was President of The Society of British Artists from 1906, and was knighted in the New Year’s Honours List in 1910. East was married with five children. He died on 28^th September 1913. East’s paintings, natural though they often appear, are carefully composed, and the landscapes shown are ‘improved.’ Pale greens and browns predominate. Some of his pictures are very beautiful, some are powerful, and all show the mark of a strong artistic personality. The renewed interest in Victorian Art has not reached Sir Alfred East, the greatest of the late 19^th century English landscape painters yet, but is still possible his time will come.

OBITUARY- The Times, Monday September 21^st 1913.

We regret to announce that Sir Alfred East RA, died at 6.0 clock last evening at his residence in Belsize Park, London North West, after an illness of several months. Sit Alfred had been in the country for nearly a month, hoping that a change of air would benefit his health. He returned to his London residence on Wednesday, and since then had been gradually growing weaker.

Sir Alfred East was born on December 15^th 1849 at Kettering where he taught drawing to his school fellows while he was still in pinafores. When about 10 years of age he earned his first commission of 5 shillings by drawing a pre-historic animal for a geological lecturer. He began life in a Glasgow counting house, but coming into contact with some artists of that city, he determined to be an artist himself. He studied at the Government School of Art in Glasgow and attended night class conducted by Mr Greenlees. Then he went to Paris where he received further training at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under Tony Robert Fleury and W Bougereau.

East had been a constant exhibitor in London, the provinces, and Paris since 1883, at which year three of works were hung at the Royal Academy. One of these ‘A Dewy Morn,’ was painted at Barbizon, for he fell early under the influence of the Barbizon school, especially of Corot, an influence to which his art was subject for the rest of his life. He was for many years an exhibitor at the Paris Salon, obtaining a mention honorable at the Exposition Universelle of 1890. He ceased to exhibit at the old salon (Societie Des Arts Francais), and in 1905 became a member of the rival society (Societie des Beaux Arts). He was elected ARA in 1899, and to full membership last July.

A long visit which he paid to Japan, sketching and painting in out of the way parts of that country, considerably influenced his art, and a selection of his drawings and paintings attracted a great deal of attention when exhibited at the Fine Art Society’s rooms some 18 years ago. In June 1906 he was elected President of the Royal Society of British Artists in succession to the late Sir Wyke Baylis (who had succeeded Whistler in 1889). In 1901 he was knighted. In addition he was an honourable ARIBA and LLD, and an honorary member of Meiji Bijutsu Kah Japan,(If this is spelt correctly it will be a miracle),  as well as a member of various art societies on the Continent. He was President of the ’Sette of Odd Volumes,’ in 1897-1898 of which he was one of the oldest members, having been elected in 1888, and at which he read papers on Romanticism in 1895, and on Popular Ideals of Art in 1903. Examples of his art are to be found in various public and private galleries, not only in the Provinces but throughout Europe and America. On April 11^th he offered to Kettering Urban District Council a collection of his pictures to be placed in an art gallery in that town. In a letter to the members of the council he wrote:

‘I should like to do this for two reasons: for the love I have of the old town, and also as an expression of gratitude for my recovery from a very serious illness. The collection would be composed of some of my most representative works both in oil and watercolour, and it would represent me at my best.’

This offer was accepted, and the Art Gallery was opened by Lord Spencer on July 31^st last but Sir Alfred was too unwell to be present himself.

The landscapes of Sir Alfred East show good taste rather than original genius. They are always well composed and harmonious, if not vivid in colour. He was strongly influenced by French art, so that even his pictures of English country often have a foreign look. One feels that he chose a particular scene to paint, rather because it would make a good picture, than because he himself had a strong love of it. Thus his landscapes are apt to lack character, but they are far superior to those landscapes which merely try to remind us of things that are agreeable to us in reality. He was always an artist and made no concessions to vulgarity. In later years he became more adventurous and experimental. He aimed at a more precise definition of facts and conquered the tendency to repeat himself which had begun to be dangerous. Thus his later works, if more unequal than his earlier, are also more interesting. They prove that he was not content with easy success and that he was a genuine artist, if not a great one.