Sydney Lough Thompson

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About Sydney Lough Thompson

Born at Oxford on the Canterbury Plains. Sydney Lough Thompson studied with Van Der Velden in Christchurch from 1895 - 98 and attended Canterbury School of Art. He won a Silver Medal in the National Art Competition in England for a painting of a saddle which he did in the Dutch manner.

In 1899 Thompson left for England and studied at Heatherley?s Art School in London in 1900. In 1901 he studied at the Julian Academy in Paris under Bouguereau, but was influenced greatly by the work of the Impressionists. He painted in Brittany in the holidays from 1902 - 03. He visited Glascow where he exhibited with Royal Academy and the Paris Salon.

Thompson returned to New Zealand in 1905 and was appointed life master at the Canterbury School of Art from 1906 - 10. His work at this time was mainly portraits. He married and went to Europe again studying for one year under Lucien Simon of Paris. He then settled again in Concarneau for a year working hard on his technique. From1918 he was in the south of Franc e during winters. In 1920 he had a one man show in Paris.

He visited New Zealand from 1923 - 24 and gave some classes. Thompson then returned to France in 1925 where he painted mainly in the south. He returned to New Zealand in 1933 and became a great influence in art circles in Canterbury and was president of Canterbury Art Society in 1936. In 1937 he visited Europe once again, living in Brittany for 30 years until he came back to New Zealand in 1968.

In his last years Thompson and his wife spent m uch time touring around the South Island in their caravan and settling down in places where he found good painting subjects. He died on a visit to Brittany. His work was included in the Centennial Exhibition in Wellington, 1940.