Durham Sketchbook- RJS Bertram

Landscape artist and architectural draftsman R J S Bertram is best remembered for his delightful and accurate drawings of the buildings of the North East. His pencil sketches of Durham and Newcastle show a high mastery of this medium. They capture the look and feel of the cities as they were in the early part of the 1900’s. Because he understood great architecture these are some notable drawings that feature in these books.

RJS Bertram was a man of tireless energy and would travel around the North East on his bicycle, drawing and recording. Apart from his work as an artist and teacher he devoted a great deal of his time to the preservation of ancient buildings and the creation of civic amenities. He was for many years a member of The Bishop’s Advisory Committee for the care of churches.

” To those who know Robert Bertram’s pencil drawings, they are a joy. Always rich in texture, they show in their clever placing of blacks, greys and white a grasp of that elusive quality that Thomas Berwick called “colour”. In the use of simple pencil he shows himself to be a superb craftsman” – James Alder, artist and former pupil of Bertram.

Paperback  17 x 25 cm containing  24 drawings around Durham cathedral, castle and city, all in superb detail.

First published 1920

Reprinted by Spredden Press