Laura Knight

“There is no limit to the use of a pencil point in the hands of a man” 1965

Laura Knight, painter and print maker, emerged in the 1920’s as a social realist artist.  She was intrigued by the moments of every day life, and in particular the life behind the curtain of the ballet, theatre and the circus. 

Laura Knight (née Johnson) studied art at the Nottingham School of Art. In 1903 Laura and Harold Knight, a fellow classmate, were married and moved to Cornwall where they befriended the artists of the Newlyn School. During this time her paintings and watercolours became brighter as she depicted the sea side resorts and often included local children. When the Knights moved to London she focused on prints and drawings.  In the 1920’and 1930’s she worked frequently backstage with the ballets of Diaghilev. Grecian Dancer, 1923, portrays the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. 

In 1929 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy in London and was elected Royal Academician in 1936.