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Biography
I studied Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art and Goldsmiths College, and was subsequently awarded a University of Wales doctorate.
My work in painting and drawing has passed through certain distinct phases in relation to places, themes and formal concerns: the North Sea coast, destroyed urban environments, and now predominantly rocks and clouds in Wales and Cumbria.
I have exhibited work in a range of venues including Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, Royal Cambrian Academy (of which a member), Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Oriel Ynys Mon, Oriel Ceri Richards and other galleries in Wales, London, Dusseldorf, Colorado, etc.
I have taught at Hounslow Borough College, North Devon College and, from 1993 to 2014 I was a senior lecturer at what is now Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, formerly Swansea Metropolitan University, and earlier again, Swansea Institute of Higher Education.
Selected Exhibitions
1980 Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition.
1983 Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition; Bankside Gallery/Royal Watercolour Society, Summer Exhibition.
1985 Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition.
1986 Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition.
1987 Camden Arts Centre, Annual Exhibition.
1988 Paton Gallery, ‘Aspects of Landscape’.
1989 Beletage Gallery, Dusseldorf; Mixed Exhibition.
1990 City of London Polytechnic, ‘Paintings and Works on Paper by Robert A. Newell’.
1991 Kilvert Gallery, Mixed Exhibition.
1992 Plymouth Arts Centre, South West Open.
1996 Glynn Vivian Art Gallery ‘A Land’ (One Person Exhibition); Llandeilo, Royal Nat. Eisteddfod of Wales; Cheltenham and Gloucestershire College of H. E., Cheltenham Drawing Open; Pontardawe Arts Centre, ‘Aspects of Wales’ (1st Prize winner).
1997 Royal College of Art and Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, The Hunting Art Prizes; Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition; Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales Drawing Biennale.
1998 Albany Gallery, ‘New Art ‘98 at the Albany’; Wrexham Arts Centre, Wales Drawing Biennale
1997 Howard Gardens Art Gallery, Wales Drawing Biennale.
1997 Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Wales Drawing Biennale.
1997 Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition.
1999 Royal Academy Summer, Exhibition; Wrexham Arts Centre, Wales Drawing Biennale.
2000 Howard Gardens Art Gallery, Wales Drawing Biennale; Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Wales Drawing Biennale; Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2001 Royal West of England Academy, Painting Open.
2002 Royal Cambrian Summer Exhibition Academy Wrexham Arts Centre Wales Drawing Biennale Aberystwyth Arts Centre Wales Drawing Biennale
2003 Oriel Theatr Clwyd, Wales Drawing Biennale; Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition; Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, ‘Environment into Landscape: Paintings and Drawings by Robert A. Newell’.
2004 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2005 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition; Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales Drawing Biennale; Wrexham Arts Centre Wales Drawing Biennale.
2006 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition; National Botanic Garden of Wales, ‘Landscapes of Wales’ (Group exhibition).
2007 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2008 Oriel Davies ‘RE: drawing’; Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2009 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2010 Elysium Gallery, Swansea, ‘After the End’.
2011 Royal Cambrian Academy, Summer Exhibition.
2012 Oriel Ynys Mon, ‘Forms of Endurance and Change: Paintings and Drawings by Robert A. Newell’.
2013 Oriel Ceri Richards, ‘Forms of Endurance and Change: Paintings and Drawings by Robert A. Newell’.
2014 Colorado State University, Hatton Gallery and Elysium Gallery (Swansea), ‘From Here and There’, (group exhibition of drawing).
2016/2017 Storiel (Bangor) ‘Yn Eryri / In Snowdonia’
2017 King Street Gallery, ‘Robert A. Newell: The Anatomy of Landscape’ Carmarthen.
Future Exhibitions and Events
West Dean College, Short Course: 'Painting and Drawing the Sussex Downland Landscape', 14 - 19 October 2018 For details: www.westdean.org.uk
Classical Education Forum: Day Class (in Cardiff): 'Romantic Landscape, Painting and Philosophy' 29 November 2018 For details: www.classicaledforum.co.uk
Selected Writings
Newell, R. A. 2003 Environment into Landscape: Paintings and Drawings by Robert A. Newell, (exhibition catalogue for Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery).
Newell, R. A. 2005 ‘Challenging the Negative Critique of Landscape’ in Humphries, G. and Williams, M. (eds.), Presenting and Representing Environments, Dortrecht: Springer, 2005, pp. 137-151.
Newell, R. A. 2005 Landscape Painting: Redundant Genre or Viable Practice? (Unpublished PhD thesis).
Newell, R. A. 2012 ‘Landscape; Drawing and the Morphological Sublime’ in Journal of Visual Art Practice 11:1, pp 49-61, doi: 10.1386/vap.11.149-1
Newell, R. A. 2012 Forms of Endurance and Change: Paintings and Drawings by Robert A. Newell, (exhibition catalogue for Oriel Ynys Mon and Oriel Ceri Richards).
Newell, R. A. 2014 ‘Drawing In-Situ: Space, Morphology and Stones’. TRACEY Online Journal: www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sota/tracey@lboro.ac.uk
Newell, R. A. 2014'Jonathan Powell: When We Build Again’: Exhibition introduction: Mission Gallery, Swansea, n. p.
Newell, R. A. 2016 'Introduction' Time Signatures: Dalit Leon: Elysium Gallery, n. p.
Selected Lecture Themes
While I have given lectures on a wide range of themes in the context of teaching, I also give public lectures on themes of particular interest, the following are some of them:
The Lamp of Life: The Critical Doctrines of John Ruskin
Aspects and Essences: J. Ruskin and the Philosophy of A. N. Whitehead
The Drawings of John Ruskin
The Negative Critique of Landscape
Romantic Landscape in Critical and Philosophical Contexts
Landscape: Drawing and the Morphological Sublime
Challenging Kantian Aesthetics with Turner: Sensation and Form: Beauty and the Sublime
Memberships
1993- Guild of St George
2002- Royal Cambrian Academy
2013- The Turner Society
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