Charles Knight

Charles Knight, R.W.S. R.O.I. (1901-1990) was an English landscape painter and stained-glass artist whose life and work remained intimately connected to Sussex. Best known for his luminous bucolic watercolours, he captured the unique character of the South Downs and beyond with exceptional sensitivity.

Over a career spanning six decades, Knight paired his practice as a professional artist with an extensive teaching career at Brighton School of Art. His work shows a devotion to his home county and traditional painting techniques, connecting the region’s character with the broader tradition of British landscape art. He married illustrator Leonora Vasey in 1934 and settled in Ditchling, the Sussex village known for its thriving creative community.

Knight was born on 27 August 1901 in Hove, the son of an accountant. He spent his formative years exploring the landscape that would later define his artistic vision. From 1919 to 1923, he studied under Louis Ginnett and John Denman, before advancing to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he was influenced by Walter Sickert and Glyn Philpot, among others.

His early exposure to architectural design and stained glass cultivated a sense of structure and clarity that became defining characteristics of his painting style. The vibrant artistic community of Brighton provided fertile ground for his creativity. In 1922, he joined the Brighton Arts Club along with his father – they put on an exhibition of their work in that year. His first solo exhibition came two years later, when he exhibited 52 paintings at Hove Library.

Knight’s early paintings demonstrated a disciplined approach to composition, and he worked with equal confidence across watercolour, tempera, and oil. His talent garnered recognition through the prestigious Landseer Scholarship and the Turner Gold Medal, awarded for his painting Llangollen, which was subsequently acquired by Tate, and is now at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull.

In 1926, he joined the staff at Brighton School of Art, where he would eventually rise to the position of vice-principal. Through his decades of teaching, Knight shaped several generations of artists who absorbed his emphasis on clarity, compositional rigour, and reverence for the land. During WWII, Knight participated in the Recording Britain project, creating numerous topographical watercolours across Brighton and Sussex. His life exemplifies the vital role of the regional artist as both documentarian and creative interpreter – deeply rooted in local tradition and community while also contributing to the broader narrative of 20th-century British art.

Llangollen, the painting that established his early reputation, stands as one of his most celebrated works. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and was elected to the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours, later serving as its vice president. His contributions to Recording Britain drew praise from the scheme’s originator Sir Kenneth Clark, who called them the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the collection.

His approach combined technical virtuosity with a poetic sensibility firmly grounded in direct observation. Also in the 1940s, Knight was invited by the Queen Mother to teach Princess Margaret watercolour painting, holding classes at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. Beyond painting, Knight designed stained-glass windows for churches throughout Sussex, including St Cosmas and St Damian in Keymer and at St Margaret’s in Ditchling.

As well as the pieces featured in Recording Britain, which are available to view by appointment at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Knight is well represented at various regional museums and galleries across the UK. The Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, and Towner Eastbourne all hold examples of his work. In addition, his stained-glass windows can still be seen in several Sussex churches, most notably at St Margaret’s in Ditchling.

Brockway, Michael, Charles Knight, R.W.S., R.O.I. (Leigh-on-Sea: F. Lewis, 1952).

Wooton, David, More Than a Touch of Poetry: Landscapes by Charles Knight RWS ROI 1901-1990 (Chris Beetles Limited, 1997).