Sir Charles John Holmes KCVO (1868-1936) was a British painter, art critic and museum director. His writing on art combined theory with practice and he was an expert on the painting techniques of the Old Masters, from whose example he had learned to draw and paint. 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A painter is a person who paints woodwork, walls, etc. ... An art critic is normally a person who have a speciality in giving reviews mainly of the types of fine art you will find on display. Typically the art critic will go to an art exhibition where works of art are displayed in the traditional way in localities especially made... An Old Master (or old master) is one of the great European painters who lived 1500 through 1800, or a painting by one of these painters. ...

From 1889 to 1903 Holmes worked as a publisher's and printer's assistant in London, and his experience in the field of publishing contributed to the early success of The Burlington Magazine (founded 1903), which he co-edited with Robert Dell until 1909. From 1904 to 1910 he was Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University. His stature as a landscape painter was acknowledged when he was admitted into the New English Art Club in 1904, on the same day as John Singer Sargent. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ... The Burlington Magazine is a monthly magazine to the fine and decorative arts. ... The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the senior professorship of art at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and London. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy. ... Self Portrait, oil painting, 1907 John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was a painter known for his portraits. ...

Holmes was appointed the director of the National Portrait Gallery in 1909. In 1916 he was elected director of the National Gallery, although a change in the constitution of the Gallery meant that Holmes was not given the absolute authority in the choice of purchases that his predecessors had enjoyed. Holmes instead made it his priority to familiarise the general public with the contents of the Gallery, using his experience as a critic and in publishing to this end. He received a knighthood in 1921, the year of his retirement from the National Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in central London which was opened in 1856. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ...

External links

• Paintings by Holmes in the Tate Collection