Born: 1865

Died: 1928

Harry Becker was born in Colchester of German immigrant parents, and spent most of his life in East Anglia, recording scenes of rural life in oil, watercolour, etchings and lithographs.

At the age of 14 he was sent to the Royal Academy Schools in Antwerp, then in 1884 to finish his training in Paris under the the painter Carolus Duran. During that time he came under the influence of the impressionists, adopting many of their techniques . He particularlyadmired Edgar Degas and elements of his influence can be observed in Beckers work. On his return to England he lived at the Minories, Colchester, painting landscapes and portraits in both watercolour and oil. In 1894 he moved to London, experiencing very hard times, often due to his unwillingness to sell his work. During this period he was supported by his wife who is the subject of a number of portraits during this period.

Eventually his Lithographs gained popularity and he began to earn enough money to return to Suffolk in 1913 and settled at Wenhaston, eventually moving to Darsham in 1926. He lived a solitary existence away from the mainstream of the art world as he eschewed it's commerciality, preferring to rise early with the farm workers and sketch them from life. He continued to produce Lithographs for clients such as the London Underground, one example of which was aimed to get more women working on the land during the war. His final years were spent trying to repurchase paintings he had sold in the past. He will be remembered for his great interest in the slow pace of rural life, men and horses working in in fields under huge skies, and the changing seasons.