William Michael Rothenstein (19 March 1908 – 6 July 1993) was a British printmaker, painter and art teacher.
Early life
Born in Hampstead, London, on 19 March 1908, he was the youngest of four children born to the celebrated artist, Sir William Rothenstein and his wife Alice Knewstub.
Art
He was home schooled and studied art at Chelsea Polytechnic and later at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Affected by lingering depression, Rothenstein did little art making during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Despite this, he had his first one-man show at the Warren Gallery, London in 1931.
During the late 1930s the artist's output was mainly Neo-Romantic landscapes and in 1940 he was commissioned to paint topographical watercolours of endangered sites in Sussex for the Recording Britain proanised by the Pilgrim Trust. In the early 1940s he moved to Ethel House, in the north Essex village of Great Bardfield. The artist held his first (of many) one-man shows at the famous Redfern Gallery, London in 1942. During this time he became increasingly fascinated by printmaking.
