Leonard Rosoman was an English artist, known for his murals, paintings and war art.
Rosoman was born in London and went to school in Peterborough. He then studied art at the King Edward VII school of art in Newcastle on Tyne and later at Royal Academy Schools (1935-1936) and the Central School (1937-1938) where he was taught by Bernard Meninsky. He received his first commission while still a student, when he was asked to illustrate a children’s book by the scientist, JBS Haldane.
At the start of the Second World War, Rosoman joined the Auxiliary Fire Service which inspired his artwork, producing paintings based on his experiences during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. ‘A House Collapsing on Two Firemen, Shoe Lane’ which depicts a scene the artist witnessed, was shown in the Fireman Artists exhibition at the Royal Academy 1941. This work attracted the attention of the director of the National Gallery and chairman of the War Artists’ Advisory Committee (WAAC), Kenneth Clark who invited Rosoman to join the committee as a war artist. A fireman’s committee was formed which included Rosoman with other artists including Bernard Hailstone and Norman Hepple.
In April 1945, Rosoman was appointed to a full-time position with the WAAC and was posted to the Far East to document the British Pacific Fleet. On board the aircraft carrier he sailed with for three months, the artist developed a fascination with new technologies being used such as radar indicates and folding planes. Returning to Britain at the end of the war, Rosoman began teaching at Camberwell College of Art where he became friends with fellow artist and teacher, John Minton. Rosoman moved on to Edinburgh College of Art in 1948 to teach mural painting and during this period he organised an exhibition for Sergei Diaghilev.
In 1957, Rosoman started teaching at the Royal College of Art, where he taught David Hockney. Throughout this era, the artist produced a number of notable murals including for the Festival of Britain, the restaurant of the Royal Academy, Burlington House and the ceiling of the chapel at Lambeth Palace. A retrospective of Rosoman’s work was held at the Imperial War Museum in 1989. His work can be found in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Leeds Art Gallery and the Tate.
