BIOGRAPHY - John Bentham-Dinsdale (1927 - 2008)

John Bentham-Dinsdale was a British maritime painter. Originally going to school for architecture, he first served as a commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, then worked in theater. He designed scenery for several West End theaters before moving into television. He was an assistant designer for Associated Television before becoming head of design and construction for Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle. Though painting had been more of a hobby for most of his life, Dinsdale moved back to his native Yorkshire to pursue painting full-time. He soon became known as a maritime painter, showing clipper ships on the high seas and scenes from naval history. He helped found the British Sea Painters Group in 1970, then had his first solo exhibition in London in 1974. Dinsdale’s work became popular partly because of his attention to detail. His vast library relating to marine history allowed him to accurately portray specific ships at specific moments in their lives. However, his skill did not solely lay in his vessels but in the countless ways that the ocean itself often appears on his canvases.