Hull from the Humber

Beginning his career as a marine engineer, no details are known of Redmore's early artistic training. It is possible he may have received instruction from John Ward (1798-1849) whom he succeeded as Hull's most renowned marine artist, but there is no definite evidence. Certainly the composition of Redmore's Hull from the Humber owes much to Ward in its use of compositional devices such as the watermen on rafts of timber, leading the eye from the left- hand side of the canvas into the centre. However, unlike Ward, who was concerned with presenting an accurate record of a vessel, Redmore's principal aim was to construct a pleasing view. As a ship's engineer he was well acquainted with the different types of vessels, but Redmore's paintings are not ship portraits defining every block and rope of the rigging. Redmore's work was part of the Victorian tradition of executing romantic sea paintings of ships in a violent storm or shown in a calm sunlit sea. His patrons came from a wider public, not just those involved in shipping. This is reflected in the size of his canvases which were sometimes very large to fill the ample wall space of the substantial Victorian townhouse.