Norman Wilkinson (1878 - 1971) British, etching titled "The Evening Rise". Artist signed in pencil on back right. Etching of a large lake sitting at the foothills of a mountain. It features two fishermen, one sitting and one standing in a row boat which rests in the middle of the water. Overall Size: 16 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. Sight Size: 9 1/2 x 12 5/8 in. #5628 Norman Wilkinson was a British artist in oil, watercolour and drypoint*, usually of marine subjects. An illustrator and poster artist, he also made an important contribution in both World Wars. Educated at Berkhamsted School and St Paul’s Cathedral choir school, he had little training in art but largely developed his style through his maritime career. As a poster designer, he reached his highest artistic level. His posters were well-planned and executed in broad tones of colour with a skillful use of black to strengthen the design. He made his first poster (of the Irish steamer crossing from Holyhead to Dublin) in 1905. It was the first to illustrate the product as just one element of a broader landscape and its revolutionary design was a major influence in the development of the pictorial poster. The artist went on to organize the celebrated commissioning of poster designs from members of the Royal Academy for the London Midland and Scottish Railway company in the 1920s. Through the dissemination of his posters to railway stations, schools, and government offices throughout the world, he became one of the most familiar artists in the British Empire. He was elected Hon. Marine Painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1919 and P.R.I. in 1937. He was knighted in 1948 and appointed a CBE in 1948. The artist created a painting titled The Approach to Plymouth Harbour for the smoking room of the RMS Titanic, which sank with the ship. Prolific and long-lived, Wilkinson led an active and adventurous life until his death in 1971.