Biography
Painter of figurative and abstract subjects in oils, watercolours, collage and mixed media; maker of assemblages, printmaker and writer on art. The younger son of William Rothenstein (painter draughtsman and lithographer, and distinguished Principal of the Royal College of Art), he studied at Chelsea School of Art in 1923, and at the Central School 1924-27, under Meninsky and Hartrick. In 1946, after an early career as a landscape watercolourist, Michael Rothenstein embarked upon his career as a printmaker. He was dedicated to the art of printmaking from this moment onwards and explored working with lithographs, monotypes, etchings, linocuts, woodcuts, screen prints and mixed media In 1957 he worked with Hayter at Atelier 17. He held a solo exhibition at the Warren Gallery in 1930 and thereafter showed regularly in London galleries (including Angela Flowers), in the provinces and abroad. He showed at the RA from 1932, becoming ARA in 1977 and RA in 1984, and he is represented in public collections including the Tate Gallery. He worked for the Recording Britain scheme 1940-43 and lectured extensively, and his publications include ‘Relief Printing’, 1970. He was greatly influenced by Hayter and in the 1960’s produced many mixed media prints using abstract symbols. His direct, dramatic painting in powerful colour, ranged from the intense depiction of everyday scenes to the portrayal of certain symbolic images such as the cockerel. Rothenstein was enormously prolific throughout his career of almost half a century, during which his vision and restless energy enabled him to extend the boundaries of printmaking. He earnt a worldwide reputation as one of the most exciting British printmakers of the twentieth century. The fact that Rothenstein chose to make printmaking his primary artistic activity made him quite separate from many other artist's of his nation. Lit: Retrospective exhibition catalogue, Stoke on Trent Museum and Art Gallery, 1989.