Venus and Cupid

Fowler was born at Anstruther, near St. Andrews, and studied at Heatherly's art school at Liverpool. He remained there until 1903, his Castle Street studio becoming a focus for the city's artistic life. His style, based on ideal figure compositions and landscape, owed much to Leighton and Albert Moore, and like Moore he was strongly influenced by Japanese art, of which he formed a large collection. He exhibited at the Royal Academy (1876-1903), the Grosvenor and New Galleries, and the 'old' and 'new' Watercolour Societies, as well as achieving recognition in Paris and Munich. For a well illustrated article on his work, see the Studio, 9, 1897, pp. 85-98.