Famous English Artists - Famous English artists
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was the first man to raise (1) British pictorial art (2) to a level of importance. He was born in London. His father was a schoolmaster. His early taste for drawing (3) was remarkable and after schooling normal for his day he was apprenticed (4) to a silver-plate engraver (5).
His success he attributed to hard labor, ‘I know of no such thing as genius’, he wrote - ‘genius is nothing but (6) labor and diligence (7)’.
Hogarth painted many pictures. The Marriage Contract is the first of the series of his pictures forming the famous ‘marriage a la mode’ (8). Both fathers in the picture are seated to the right. One, an Earl, with points of pride to his family tree; the other, probably an alderman of the City of London, examines the marriage settlement. The Earl’s son admires himself in the looking-glass; the alderman’s daughter trifles with her wedding ring and listens to the pleasantries of a young lawyer.
The subject of the picture is a protest against marriage for money and vanity (9). Hogarth was the first great English artist.
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first President of the Royal Academy, was not only a 236 painter but the founder of the academic principles of a British School.
His own work was influenced by the Venetians, Titian (10) and Veronese (11). His passion for rich depth of shadows (12) was fortunate; to obtain it he used bitumen.
The third great figure, of the 18th century painting - Thomas Gainsborough (1727- 1788) - was born in 1727 in the small market town of Sudbury in Suffolk.
Gainsborough had little academic training, he learned to paint not by plodding in the studio, but by observing the actual world. Van Dyck’s graceful poses and silvery tones fascinated him and played a large part in determining the development of his skill. Perhaps the best known to-day of all Gainsborough’s portraits is the famous Blue Boy.
But curiously (13) enough it was little known in Gainsborough’s day and there is no definite information (14), about the date of the painting. It is a portrait in a Van Dyck habit (15). There is an opinion that Gainsborough painted The Blue Boy in order to establish the point which he had made in a dispute (16) with Reynolds and other painters, when he maintained (17) that the dominant (18) color in a picture should be blue. His picture The Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher attracted general attention (19). The picture representing a small country girl was first exhibited in 1814; the easy pose of the girl, the natural turn of her head and the expression of her face make a true to life (20) picture.
Gainsborough always thought of himself as a landscape painter, but torn away from his real love by the necessity to paint portraits in order to earn his living (21).
He was the first to introduce (22) lyrical freedom into British painting. His achievement lay in the discovery of the beauty of his native landscape.
William Hogarth was the first to raise the British fine arts to the proper level. He was born in London. His father was a school teacher. His early drawing ability was impressive, and after his lessons he trained as a silver engraver.
His success is hard work, “I know that there is no such thing as genius,” he wrote, “genius is nothing more than work and diligence.”
Hogarth painted many pictures. " Marriage contract" - the first of a series of paintings that makes up the famous cycle "Fashionable Marriage". In the painting, both parents are depicted on the right. One of them, an earl, proudly points out his pedigree, the other, perhaps a member of the City of London, is studying a marriage agreement. The son of a count enjoys his appearance in the mirror, the daughter of a member of the city council twirls a ring in her hands and listens to the compliments of a young lawyer.
The theme of this picture is a protest against marriage for the sake of money and arrogance. Hogarth was the first famous English artist.
Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy, was not only an artist, but also the founder of the academic principles of the British School.
His own paintings were significantly influenced by the Venetians Titian and Veronese. His fascination with the richness of shadowy contrasts was successful; to achieve this he used rock resin.
The third famous person of the 18th century. There was Thomas Gainsborough, who was born in 1727 in the small town of Sudbury in the county of Safolk.
Gainsborough did not receive a full academic education. He learned to draw not by working carefully in the studio, but by contemplating the real world. The majestic poses and silvery shades in Van Dyck's paintings fascinated him and greatly influenced the further development of his skill. Apparently, the most prominent among Gainsborough’s works is the portrait “The Boy in Blue.”
Interestingly enough, this work was not widely known during Gainsborough's lifetime, so the exact date of this painting is unknown. This is a portrait in the style of Van Dyck. There is an opinion that Gainsborough painted “The Boy in Blue” in order to defend his point of view in a polemic with Van Dyck and other artists that the color blue predominates in the picture. His painting "Country Girl with a Dog and a Mug" attracted the attention of the public. The painting, depicting a little village girl, was first exhibited in 1814. The simple look of the girl, the natural movement of her head, and facial expression made this picture realistic.
Gainsborough always considered himself a landscape painter, but was forced to abandon his real passion for landscapes and painted portraits to earn a living.
He pioneered lyrical freedom in British art. His success is based on studying the beauty of his native nature.
Vocabulary
1. to be the first man to raise - to be the first artist to raise
2. pictorial art - fine art
3. taste for drawing – inclination to draw
4. to be apprenticed - to be an assistant, a student of a master
5. engraver - engraver
6. nothing but - here: nothing more than
7. diligence - diligence
8. “marriage a la mode” - (French) series of paintings “fashionable marriage”
9. vanity - arrogance, vanity
10. Titian - Titian Vecellio (1477-1576), famous Italian artist
11. Veronese Paolo - Veronese Paolo (1528-1588), famous Italian artist
12. depth of shadows - shadow contrasts
13. curiously - interesting
14. definite information - certain information
15. in a Van Dyck habit - in the manner of Van Dyck
16. dispute - discussion
17. maintain - assert, defend
18. predominant - what prevails, dominant
19. to attract general attention - to attract general attention
20. true to life - here: life-like, realistic
21. to earn one’s living - earn a living
22. introduce - introduce
Questions
1. Who was the first English artist of the 17th-18th centuries?
2. What is the subject of Hogarth’s picture The Marriage Contract?
3. Who was the first President of the Royal Academy?
3. What pictures by Gainsborough do you know?
4. Did Gainsborough paint only portraits?
5. What is the predominant color in his pictures?
At the end of the First World War, British art seemed to become intimidated, as if overcome by a sense of its own insignificance in comparison with such catastrophic events. Continental European artists once again embraced modernism, but British artists remained hesitant. Yet the next four decades gave the country innovators; True, they each worked on their own. For many, the image (figure) of a person, albeit in the most unnatural forms, remained the main theme of creativity. Several kindred spirits joined their creative efforts. Picasso's abstract expressionism resonated with the artists of the Unit One group from the Cornish town of St. Ives. Masters such as Stanley Spencer, Augustus John and Lucian Freud gradually changed the canons of figurative painting. Francis Bacon made a particularly great contribution to the destruction of tradition with his grotesque portraits. Unit One founder Paul Nash, famous for his World War I paintings, gave viewers a surreal look at the British landscape; John Piper, another war artist, became a pioneer of the neo-romanticism style, experimenting with color in dramatic landscapes.
Stanley Spencer Shocked his contemporaries by creating canvases depicting biblical scenes framed by idyllic scenes of rural life in interwar Britain. During the Second World War, he painted a series of paintings depicting the hard work of shipbuilders in the shipyards on the River Clyde. In his later work, the sexual element intensifies. Nude portraits of Spencer's second wife prompted the president of the Royal Academy of Arts to accuse the artist of obscenity. But no matter what Spencer depicts, his figurative style is distinguished by virtuoso precision.
Henry Moore- outstanding British sculptor of the 20th century. Having studied early South American art in the 1920s, Yorkshireman Moore turned to abstract art a decade later. Starting from the art of Picasso, in his work he progresses from shapeless volumetric masses to the creation of fluid female forms, which will be the main motif of his sculpture until the 1980s. “My huge reclining figures,” Moore said, “are generated by nature,” which is perhaps why they look completely natural in a landscape gardening environment.
Girlfriend Mura Barbara Hepworth also loved abstract forms, but interpreted them as symbols of nature rather than as figures. Working with metal, wood and stone, she created biomorphic images with a tangible texture. Hepworth's compositions are characterized by the presence of holes that blend smoothly into the sculpture. Perhaps her most famous work is “Single Form” (Single Form, 1963), located in the UN General Assembly building in New York. Hepworth died in a fire at her studio home in St Ives in 1975.
Francis Bacon was the most significant British artist XX century. He didn't have special education, but in early adulthood he regularly visited all the art galleries of Paris, Berlin and London. The work of Picasso had a huge influence on him. In 1945, he exhibited in London his work “Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion” (1944) - eerie surreal compositions of anthropomorphic forms, reminiscent of either people, or animals, or God knows who else? The next morning Bacon woke up famous. He painted in the style of figurative art, but his portraits - figures torn apart, as if turned inside out, “deformed and then transformed”, as the artist himself once said, left an indelible impression. Some of his paintings are based on classic works. Such, for example, is his screaming pontiff - the original image of the stern Pope Innocent X from the portrait of Velazquez, distorted beyond recognition. Open, screaming mouths are a recurring motif in his work. Bacon also had a habit of painting faces next to pieces of meat, hinting at their psychological similarities.
Lucian Freud, grandson of Sigmund Freud, emigrated to Britain from Nazi Germany in his youth with his family. Borrowing heavily from the style of Stanley Spencer, he developed a realistic, prosaic approach to depicting the human figure, applying paint in thick layers. With age, Freud gradually changed his interpretation of human images, without any mercy, depicting people more and more naturalistically, with all their bumps and warts. Dirty, unattractive rooms served as the backdrop for his sedentary, usually naked, apathetic figures. Widely known as a skilled artist, Freud continued to write into the 21st century. In 2008, his portrait of a sleeping nude social worker became the most expensive work art by a living artist: it fetched £17.2 million at auction.
Joseph Turner
Joseph Turner, the greatest English romantic landscape painter, was born in Covent Garden, London, on the 23rd of April in 1775. He was the son of a fashionable barber. He started drawing and painting as a small boy. His father used to sell the boy’s drawings to his customers. In such a way he earned money which his father paid for his lessons in art. At the age of 14 he entered the Royal Academy School. His water-colors were exhibited at the Royal Academy from the time he was fifteen. At 18 he had set up his own studio. Turner worked at first in water-colours, then in oils.
Between 1802 and 1809 Turner painted a series of sea-pieces, among them “Sun Rising in Mist”. The masterpieces of this period are “The Lake of Geneva”, “Frosty Morning”, “Crossing the Brook”, etc. In 1819 Turner got out on his first visit to Italy. During the journey he made about 1500 drawings and in the next few years he painted a series of pictures inspired by what he had seen. Turner was the master of the air and wind, rain and sunshine, horizon, ships and sea. He dissolved the forms of his landscape in the play of light and shade, he anticipated the work of French Impressionist paintings. During his life Turner painted some hundreds of paintings and some thousands of water-colors and drawings. On his death Turner’s own entire collection of paintings and drawings was willed to the nation and they are in the National and the Tate Galleries.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was a master of English school of painting. He was a portraitist and a landscape painter. He was born in Sudbury in 1727 and was the son of a merchant. His father sent him to London to study arts. He spent 8 years working and studying in London. There he got acquainted with the Flemish traditional school of painting. In his portraits green and blue colors predominate. He was the first British painter who painted British native countryside. He painted a wagon of hay, a poor cottage, poor peasants.
His works of landscape contain much poetry and music. His best works are “Blue Boy”, “ The Portrait of the Duchess of Beaufort”, “Sara Siddons” and others. The particular discovery of Gainsborough was the creation of a form of art in which the characters and the background form a single unity. The landscape is not kept in the background, but in most cases man and nature are fused in a single whole through the atmospheric harmony of mood. Gainsborough emphasized that the natural background for his characters should be nature itself. His works, painted in clear and transparent tones, had a significant influence on the artists of the English school. He was in advance of his time. His art became a forerunner of the Romantic Movement.
John Constable
John Constable, one of the greatest landscape painters, was born in Sufford, on June 11,1776. He was the son of a wealthy miller. He began to take interest in landscape painting while he was at grammar school. His father did not favor art as a profession. As a boy Constable worked almost secretly, painting in the cottage of an amateur painter. His keen artistic interest was such that his father allowed him to visit London in 1795, where he began to study painting. In 1799 Constable entered the Royal Academy School in London. He was the first landscape painter who considered that every painter should make his sketches direct from nature, that is, working in the open air. Constable's art developed slowly.
He tried to earn his living by portraits. His heart was never in this and he achieved no popularity. Constable was a realist. He put into his cattle landscape, horses, the people working there. He put the smiling meadows, the sparkle of the sun on rain, or the stormy and uncertain clouds. The most notable works of Constable are “Flatford Mill”, “The White Horse”, “The Hay Wain”, “Waterloo Bridge”, “From Whitehall stairs” and others. In England Constable never received the recognition that he felt he was due. The French were the first to acclaim Constable publicly. His influence upon foreign painting schools has been powerful. Constable may truly be considered the father of modern landscape painting.
Translation of the topic into Russian:
Joseph Turner
Joseph Turner - the great English landscape painter - was born in Covent Garden in London, April 23, 1775. He was the son of a fashionable hairdresser at that time. As a boy he began to draw. His father sold the boy's drawings to his visitors. In this way he earned money, which was used to pay for his art lessons. At the age of 14 he entered school at the Royal Academy. His watercolor drawings have been exhibited at the Royal Academy since he was fifteen. At the age of 18 he created his own studio. At first he worked in watercolors and then in oils. Between 1802 and 1809 Turner painted a series of seascapes, among them Sun Rising in the Fog.
Masterpieces of this period are considered: “Lake Geneva”, “Frosty Morning”, “Crossing the Stream” and others. In 1819 Turner returned from his first trip to Italy. During the trip, he created about 1,500 drawings and the following year, inspired by what he saw, he painted a series of paintings. Turner was a master of air and wind, rain and sunlight, the horizon, ships and sea. The contours of his landscapes dissolved in the play of light and shadows, in this he was the predecessor of the French impressionists. Throughout his life, Turner painted hundreds of paintings and thousands of watercolors and drawings. After his death, the collection of his paintings, according to his will, passed to the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was a master of the English school of painting. He painted portraits and landscapes. He was born in Sudbury in 1727, the son of a merchant. His father sent him to London to study painting. He spent 8 years in London working and studying. There he became acquainted with the Flemish traditional school of painting. His portraits are dominated by green and blue colors. He was the first English artist to depict nature and the British countryside. He depicted a haystack, a poor house, poor peasants.
His landscapes are filled with poetry and music. His best works are “The Blue Boy”, “Portrait of the Duchess Beaufer”, “Sarah Siddons” and others. An important discovery of Gainsborough was his creation of a form of painting where the characters and the landscape form a single whole. The landscape is not just a background, but in most cases man and nature merge into one in an atmosphere of harmony of moods. Gainsborough emphasized that the natural background for characters there must be nature itself. His works, executed in clear and transparent colors, had a significant influence on the artists of English painting. He was ahead of his time. His art became a harbinger of the Romantic movement.
John Constable
John Constable, one of the most famous landscape painters, was born in Safford, June 11, 1776. He was the son of a wealthy miller. He began to be interested in painting in elementary school. His father did not approve of art as a profession. As a boy, Costable worked in secret, painting in the home of an amateur artist. His interest in painting convinced his father to send him to London in 1795, where he began to study painting. In 1799, Constable entered school at the Royal Academy in London. He was the first of the landscape painters who believed that it was necessary to make sketches from nature, that is, to work in the open air.
Constable's skill developed gradually. He began to make a living by painting portraits. His heart was never in it, and therefore he did not achieve popularity. Constable was a realist. On his canvases he depicted cattle, horses and people working there. He painted meadows glistening with dew, sparks of the sun in drops of rain and harsh thunderclouds. Constable's most famous works are “The Mill at Flatford”, “ White horse”, “A Wagon of Hay”, “Waterloo Bridge”, “From the Steps of Whitehall” and others. In England, Constable did not receive the recognition he rightfully expected. The French were the first to publicly recognize Constable. His influence on foreign schools of painting was enormous. Constable can rightfully be recognized as the founder of the landscape genre.
Joseph Turner
Joseph Turner - the great English landscape painter - was born in Covent Garden in London, April 23, 1775. He was the son of a fashionable hairdresser at that time. As a boy he began to draw. His father sold the boy's drawings to his visitors. In this way he earned money, which was used to pay for his art lessons. At the age of 14 he entered school at the Royal Academy. His watercolor drawings have been exhibited at the Royal Academy since he was fifteen. At the age of 18 he created his own studio. At first he worked in watercolors and then in oils. Between 1802 and 1809 Turner painted a series of seascapes, among them Sun Rising in the Fog. Masterpieces of this period are considered: “Lake Geneva”, “Frosty Morning”, “Crossing the Stream” and others. In 1819 Turner returned from his first trip to Italy. During the trip, he created about 1,500 drawings and the following year, inspired by what he saw, he painted a series of paintings. Turner was a master of air and wind, rain and sunlight, the horizon, ships and sea. The contours of his landscapes dissolved in the play of light and shadows, in this he was the predecessor of the French impressionists. Throughout his life, Turner painted hundreds of paintings and thousands of watercolors and drawings. After his death, the collection of his paintings, according to his will, passed to the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was a master of the English school of painting. He painted portraits and landscapes. He was born in Sudbury in 1727, the son of a merchant. His father sent him to London to study painting. He spent 8 years in London working and studying. There he became acquainted with the Flemish traditional school of painting. His portraits are dominated by green and blue colors. He was the first English artist to depict nature and the British countryside. He depicted a haystack, a poor house, poor peasants. His landscapes are filled with poetry and music. His best works are “The Blue Boy”, “Portrait of the Duchess Beaufer”, “Sarah Siddons” and others. An important discovery of Gainsborough was his creation of a form of painting where the characters and the landscape form a single whole. The landscape is not just a background, but in most cases man and nature merge into one in an atmosphere of harmony of moods. Gainsborough emphasized that the natural background for the characters should be nature itself. His works, executed in clear and transparent colors, had a significant influence on the artists of English painting. He was ahead of his time. His art became a harbinger of the Romantic movement.
John Constable
John Constable, one of the most famous landscape painters, was born in Safford, June 11, 1776. He was the son of a wealthy miller. He began to be interested in painting in elementary school. His father did not approve of art as a profession. As a boy, Costable worked in secret, painting in the home of an amateur artist. His interest in painting convinced his father to send him to London in 1795, where he began to study painting. In 1799, Constable entered school at the Royal Academy in London. He was the first of the landscape painters who believed that it was necessary to make sketches from nature, that is, to work in the open air. Constable's skill developed gradually. He began to make a living by painting portraits. His heart was never in it, and therefore he did not achieve popularity. Constable was a realist. On his canvases he depicted cattle, horses and people working there. He painted meadows glistening with dew, sparks of the sun in drops of rain and harsh thunderclouds. Constable's most famous works are “The Mill at Flatford”, “The White Horse”, “The Hay Wain”, “Waterloo Bridge”, “From the Steps of Whitehall” and others. In England, Constable did not receive the recognition he rightfully expected. The French were the first to publicly recognize Constable. His influence on foreign schools of painting was enormous. Constable can rightfully be recognized as the founder of the landscape genre.
Translation into English:
Joseph Turner, the greatest English romantic landscape painter, was born in Covent Garden, London, on the 23rd of April in 1775. He was the son of a fashionable barber. He started drawing and painting as a small boy. His father used to sell the boy’s drawings to his customers. In such a way he earned money which his father paid for his lessons in art. At the age of 14 he entered the Royal Academy School. His water-colors were exhibited at the Royal Academy from the time he was fifteen. At 18 he had set up his own studio. Turner worked at first in water-colours, then in oils. Between 1802 and 1809 Turner painted a series of sea-pieces, among them “Sun Rising in Mist”. The masterpieces of this period are “The Lake of Geneva”, “Frosty Morning”, “Crossing the Brook”, etc. In 1819 Turner got out on his first visit to Italy. During the journey he made about 1500 drawings and in the next few years he painted a series of pictures inspired by what he had seen. Turner was the master of the air and wind, rain and sunshine, horizon, ships and sea. He dissolved the forms of his landscape in the play of light and shade, he anticipated the work of French Impressionist paintings. During his life Turner painted some hundreds of paintings and some thousands of water-colors and drawings. On his death Turner’s own entire collection of paintings and drawings was willed to the nation and they are in the National and the Tate Galleries.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was a master of English school of painting. He was a portraitist and a landscape painter. He was born in Sudbury in 1727 and was the son of a merchant. His father sent him to London to study arts. He spent 8 years working and studying in London. There he got acquainted with the Flemish traditional school of painting. In his portraits green and blue colors predominate. He was the first British painter who painted British native countryside. He painted a wagon of hay, a poor cottage, poor peasants. His works of landscape contain much poetry and music. His best works are “Blue Boy”, “The Portrait of the Duchess of Beaufort”, “Sara Siddons” and others. The particular discovery of Gainsborough was the creation of a form of art in which the characters and the background form a single unity. The landscape is not kept in the background, but in most cases man and nature are fused in a single whole through the atmospheric harmony of mood. Gainsborough emphasized that the natural background for his characters should be nature itself. His works, painted in clear and transparent tones, had a significant influence on the artists of the English school. He was in advance of his time. His art became a forerunner of the Romantic Movement.
Collectors of antique paintings are conservative in their preferences. Of greatest interest are Italian masters Renaissance, old Dutch and German painters, French impressionists and some others. At the same time, artists from other countries and eras often deserve no less close attention. Let's look at the paintings of England.
Few people would call English painting one of the country's treasures, and in vain. Among the artists of England there are many interesting and original masters, whose creations adorn the best art galleries in the world and the richest private collections of art objects.
However, among wide circles of art lovers, England is undeservedly relegated to the background. Not everyone can name at least three English painters without hesitation. Let us try to eliminate this injustice by proposing brief overview ancient English painting from the moment of its formation into a separate, independent phenomenon of world art.
The origins of English painting.
Until the 17th century, one could only talk about English painting conditionally. There were miniatures or frescoes, but the English looked pale against the background of the Italian or Dutch schools. Painting was not encouraged in the country - the strict and stern Puritans who dominated the ideological sphere did not welcome any kind of “decoration”.
It is not surprising that the authors of the first English paintings they weren't English. The history of English painting should begin with the works of the great Dutchmen Rubens and Van Dyck, who gave a powerful impetus to the development of English fine art. But, if Rubens’s execution of murals for Whitehall Palace in 1629 became for the artist, in essence, only a brilliant addition to his career as a diplomat (he was the head of the embassy of the Spanish king in negotiations with Charles I of England), then Anthony Van Dyck was the court artist of Charles and received the nobility and is buried in London's famous St. Paul's Cathedral.
Van Dyck and the Dutch Cornelis Ketel, Daniel Mitens, the Germans von der Faes (Peter Lely) and Gottfried Kniller (Sir Godfrey Kneller, Cromwell's favorite) who came to England after him were portrait painters. Their paintings are distinguished by brilliant craftsmanship and subtlety of psychological observation. Their services were highly appreciated. They were all ennobled, and Neller was even buried in Westminster Abbey.
The dominant genre of English painting was ceremonial portrait. Historical and mythological subjects occupied a secondary place, and there were only a few landscape painters.
The English in the 17th century were forced to cede the first roles to brilliant foreigners. But even among them original masters appeared. Thus, William Dobson (1610-1646) began by copying paintings by Titian and Van Dyck, but now Scottish lords proudly display in their castles antique paintings, many of which are portraits of their ancestors by Dobson.
The 18th century is the “golden age” of English painting.
A real breakthrough in the visual arts, which removed the stigma of “eternal students” from the British, was the work of William Hogarth (1697-1764).
He opened the “golden” 18th century of English painting. He was an innovator and a realist in every way. He painted sailors, beggars, his own servants, and women of easy virtue. His individual paintings or cycles are sometimes sharply satirical, sometimes deeply sad, but always very lively and realistic. And the bright cheerfulness of “The Girl with Shrimp” (1745) simply makes you smile back. This portrait is unanimously considered by both amateurs and critics to be one of the most interesting and vital portraits of the era.
Hogarth also wrote historical subjects and was a master of engraving. He is the author of the essay “Analysis of Beauty,” dedicated to the questions of the goals and meaning of fine art (1753).
It was precisely from Hogarth that the enlightened society of Europe began to give English painting its worthy place, English paintings became in demand, and the artist himself acquired continental fame.
The second major master, whose works should be paid attention to by connoisseurs of antique paintings, was Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts. He studied in England and spent three years in Italy, where Michelangelo became his idol. Portrait remained the main genre in which the artist worked.
His creations are distinguished by great diversity - from ceremonial portraits of the nobility filled with perfection and stiffness to charming images of children (just look at the wonderful “Girl with Strawberries”, 1771).
The master also gave a gift to the indispensable mythological subjects, but his characters are by no means academic. Just look at the playful Venus (“Cupid Unties the Belt of Venus,” 1788) or the childishly serious troublemaker Hercules (“Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpent,” 1786).
Reynolds was also an outstanding art theorist, who left many works from which generations of painters learned. At the end of his life, the artist suffered a terrible blow - he lost his sight.
The third great master of this period was Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Reynolds' constant rival. Gainsborough, inferior to his opponent in the thoroughness of his brushwork and refinement of technique, surpassed him in originality and spontaneity in conveying nature.
It must be said that Gainsborough took up portraiture only because this genre, unlike his favorite landscape, made it possible to live comfortably. However, his portraits were strikingly different from traditional ones. People really live in them, they are immersed in their inner world, and not posing or “immersed in thoughts about great things.” That's why Gainsborough has so many family and children's portraits - customers preferred to see their loved ones as they are.
Perhaps Gainsborough's most famous masterpiece is The Boy in Blue (1770). Fine transmission inner world a calm, dignified young man, a magnificent color scheme - all this puts Gainsborough among the greatest portrait painters of Europe of the 18th century. Over the years, the artist’s painting style becomes more and more free, light and broad, evoking associations with much later impressionism.
However, the master’s favorite genre has always been landscape. Even in his portrait works, the background plays a large, sometimes almost equal role. Gainsborough's brushes include many types of English nature, the most famous of which are “Forest Cornard” early period creativity (1748) and “The Watering Place” (circa 1774-1777).
When talking about the English landscape, one cannot fail to mention Richard Wilson (1714-1782). He colored the paintings, which were quite traditional in composition and subjects, with bright, vibrant tones. Therefore, his canvases seemed too natural to his contemporaries, and there were few people willing to buy his paintings. The master received well-deserved recognition only a century after his death. Among other landscape painters, we can highlight Gainsborough's followers George Moreland (1763-1804) and John Crome (1768-1821), the founder of the “Norwich” school, which became famous in the 19th century.
In the second half of the century, a historical direction emerged in English painting, but few truly outstanding masters worked in the historical genre. Buying historical painting was considered a kind of patriotic duty.
The turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. New trends in English painting
The end of the 18th century was marked by great upheavals. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic era brought new heroes to the forefront - military men, politicians, and fighters. Portrait and history painting acquire exceptional importance. But, if some images of statesmen are traditionally full of dignity and importance, then others bear the imprint of the unbridled romanticism that dominated literature at that time. The most prominent representative of the first direction was Thomas Lawrence, the second - George Dow.
The “brilliant but cold” (as art critics put it) art of Lawrence (1769-1830) brought him enormous popularity on the continent. His merits were also recognized by his homeland - for many years he was president of the Royal Academy of Arts. His portraits are distinguished by the careful depiction of draperies, clothes, the meaningfulness of the characters’ faces, their sense of self-worth and superiority. Even in the portrait of the shockingly famous, eccentric and capricious lady Caroline Lamb, Byron’s lover, whose antics were legendary, we see a calm, thoughtful woman.
For this reason, among Lawrence’s customers there are so many persons from the noblest families of Europe, kings and princesses. Often, to please the client, the artist remade portraits, giving the faces the proper majesty.
The works of George Dow (1789-1829), on the contrary, were distinguished by emotionality and liveliness. According to A.G. Venetsianov, Doe’s portraits are not portraits, but living faces. The artist created his best canvases in Russia, where, at the invitation of Alexander I, he painted portraits for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. Dow painted many portraits of the most prominent military leaders of Russia, and his portrait of Alexander I is considered the best image of the emperor.
His canvases were painted quickly, literally in three sessions, and had an amazing resemblance to the original. The customers were absolutely delighted. Pushkin described Doe's work in excellent words. The master's authority was so great that he was elected a member of the art academies of St. Petersburg, London, Vienna, Paris, Florence, Dresden, Munich, and Stockholm.
English landscape painting received particular development at the turn of the century. British masters of this genre are taking leading roles in Europe. The greatest influence on later artists was John Constable (1776-1837). He had never been abroad and only wrote about good old England. He depicted views of his homeland with utmost authenticity. The master mastered color and chiaroscuro so masterfully that, according to contemporaries, in his paintings you can literally feel the freshness of the wind and hear the rustling of leaves in the treetops.
The end of the 18th century was marked by the widespread use of watercolors. Water paints were often used in England before, but it was now that watercolor was appreciated. Constable was an excellent watercolorist, but true perfection in watercolor was achieved by another luminary of the English landscape - Joseph William Turner (1775-1851). His elements were the sea and air, the two most rewarding subjects for the efforts of a watercolorist, the elements are swift, capricious and changeable.
Many of Turner's works are painted in oils, but he never betrayed his favorite elements. Even in quite traditional images of architectural monuments, the sky and water are one of the main characters. All the artist’s paintings are full of lighting effects, and even specific objects convey nature as much as they serve as carriers of bright colors and create the overall mood of the picture. One of the most characteristic in this regard and, perhaps, the most expressive of his paintings is “Fire at Sea” (1834).
Turner's contribution to the world of fine art is not limited to his own paintings. During the Franco-Prussian War, the future famous Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro left France and went to London to study the work of English landscape painters. They were most influenced by the works of Turner, whose desire to often sacrifice details, but to create the overall emotional mood of the picture through the play of color and freedom of stroke, later became one of the fundamental principles of impressionism. Therefore, Turner can rightfully be considered one of the forerunners of this great movement.
Mid-19th century. Searching for the new in the old
The second half of the 19th century was characterized by a number of critics as a period of stagnation in English painting. The same opinion was shared by a very popular group of young artists at one time, who organized the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the late 40s. Its members called for a rejection of dead traditions, conventions, and the academicism of modern art and a return to the direct and sincere painting of the period “before Raphael.”
In the work of the members of the Brotherhood, the desire to follow the canons of the early Renaissance is clearly noticeable. This was expressed in everything from the plot, the style of writing with special attention to details and deep elaboration of color, and to the requirement to paint only from life and directly onto canvas. They even tried to prepare canvases and paints according to medieval recipes.
The rebellion of young painters against the canons, their courage soon aroused rejection from the prim art community. However, the active support of the authoritative critic John Ruskin changed the attitude of art lovers towards the Brotherhood.
The most notable figures of the Brotherhood are Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and John Everett Millais (1829-1896). They are the authors of the most characteristic paintings for the Brotherhood - “The Death of Ophelia” by Millet and numerous portraits of Rossetti’s beloved Jane Morris in the form of the mythical Proserpina, Astarte, etc.
The Pre-Raphaelite society collapsed at the turn of the 50s and 60s, but in subsequent decades its influence was very noticeable, not only in painting or poetry, but also in furniture art, book design and other applied areas. The fates of its members turned out differently. So, if Rossetti completely abandoned painting, then Millet, somewhat moving away from the style of Pre-Raphaelitism, remained very much in demand and is now the most beloved artist in England of the 2nd half of the 19th century.
By the end of the century, England was increasingly influenced by French artists- realists and impressionists. One of the most interesting representatives of the English school of this period was the US-born James McNeil Whistler, portrait and landscape painter (1834-1903). He painted in a traditional technique, but his love for subtle light and shadow effects, unsteady, unstable states of nature makes him similar to the Impressionists.
Landscape at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. remained the hobby of English painters. Among the followers of impressionism we can name Whistler's student Richard Sickert (1860-1942), among the traditional landscape painters - George Turner and his son William Lakin Turner (1867-1936), Frederick Tucker (1860-1935) and others. They fully assimilated the legacy of their famous predecessors and worthily represented the English pictorial tradition in European art. The work of the last two masters is presented in our collection.
Even a cursory glance at the creations of the masters discussed in this article allows us to understand the attractive power of ancient painting. Let's not forget that buying a painting is not just a profitable investment. First of all, this will bring beauty into the house, the fruit of the master’s inspiration, a piece of his immortality.