Leonard John Fuller (1891-1973)

               Leonard John Fuller was a renowned portrait, figure, still life and landscape painter in oils, strongly associated with the St. Ives artistic colony which came to international recognition during the mid-twentieth century. He was educated at Dulwich College and pursued his artistic talents at Clapham School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools (1912-14), winning the British Institute Scholarship in painting in 1913. The outbreak of the First World War interrupted his training. He served on the Western Front in the Machine Gun Corps where he befriended fellow artist Borlase Smart. Together, they decided that if they survived they would move to St. Ives to open a painting school.

The fulfilment of this promise was delayed, as Fuller returned to the Royal Academy after the War (1919-21) and married Marjorie Mostyn (1893-1979), a skilled flower and portrait painter who was the daughter of the successful late-Victorian artist Thomas (Tom) Mostyn (1864-1930). Fuller chose to pursue a career as a teacher of painting and drawing at St John’s Wood Art Schools (1922–32) and at Dulwich College (1927-37). During this period Fuller also exhibited his own paintings to considerable acclaim, receiving a Silver Medal from the Paris Salon in 1927.

Fuller did eventually join his friend Borlase Smart in St. Ives, founding the St. Ives School of Painting in 1938 with his wife, based at Studio 13 of the Porthmeor Studios. The St. Ives School of Painting continues to exist to this day and use Studio 13 which has been renamed the Leonard Fuller Studio. The impact of Fuller on the artistic life of St. Ives, from both an artistic and institutional perspective was profound from the time he relocated to Cornwall until his death in 1973. He was elected chairman of the St. Ives Society of Artists and was a founder member of the Penwith Society of Artists. Although Fuller’s own practice was traditional, steeped in sound technique, he was a very open and curious intellect. He is credited with helping to create an artistic atmosphere that was welcoming to new ideas, which helped to usher in the generation of British modernists associated with St. Ives such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. Fuller was a valued teacher to many of this generation including Terry Frost, Peter Lanyon, Bryan Winter, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Sven Berlin and Bob Law.

Fuller’s own art showed a consistent natural humanity, particularly visible in his portraits for which he is best known today. Technique is employed at the service of capturing the sitter’s individuality, rather than as an end in itself. Fuller’s paintings demonstrate a maturity in the judicious use of his considerable talents. He was an artist who rarely lost sight of the ultimate goal of creating a a work of art that was compelling in its entirety.

Fuller’s art is collected and cherished by many private, public and institutional collections, particularly in Cornwall. His portraits of his friends, family and contemporaries such as that of Terry Frost and Son (Newlyn Art Gallery, permanent collection) are particularly valuable as personable views of artistic kinship in a time and place that proved highly significant to the history of British art.