English painting in 18th century Flashcards

1
Q

england historical background

A
  1. isolated from continental Europe because of religion - Protestantism
  2. almost no religious art
  3. portraiture of aristocracy dominated - mostly done by foreign painters
  4. rise of national culture of portraiture
  5. new narrative themes with critical attitude towards the society
  6. inspired by Enlightenment and Industrial revolution - themes of scientific investigation and technological advancement emerged
  7. foundation of Royal academy of arts
    — adopted academic classicism
    — influenced by Rococo art
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2
Q

types of painting

A
  1. portraiture - formal and informal
  2. conversation piece - emerged in informal group portraits, e.g. families in relaxed, leisurely situations
  3. modern model subjects - contemporary subjects capture from daily life, presented as satires, aim at alerting the viewer to certain social issues
  4. themes - science and technology
  5. history painting - academic art follows the Grand Manner of Nicolas Poussin
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3
Q

William Hogarth

A
  1. Founding of English Style
  2. trained as an engraver and produced satirical prints in his early life
  3. turned to specialized in portraiture, conversation pieces
  4. compared art to great literature and moralized art in his modern moral subjects
  5. ran private art academy, a forerunner of later Royal Academy of Arts
  6. published “Analysis of Beauty”
  7. style - Rococo pastel colour, attention to fashion
  8. themes - influenced by Flemish tradition of moralizing genre paintings of everyday life, with a distinctly english tone of black humour
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4
Q

William Hogarth - self portrait with pug

A
  1. portrait within a portrait
  2. an artistic manifesto
  3. the dog
    — loyalty to nature
    — uncompromising personality like the notorious species
  4. compared himself with great english writers
  5. believed in moral duties of art
  6. sinuous line - line of beauty and grace - symbol for variety, intricacy and expressiveness of Nature
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5
Q

William Hogarth - Strode Family

A
  1. conversation piece showing the intimacy of bourgeois interior
  2. influenced by Flemish group portraits and Rococo art
  3. wealthy merchant, william strode, and his wife anne, were having tea with the archbishop of dublin, mr smith and a relative colonel strode
  4. inspired by contemporary english novels, theme of modern moral subject - a satire, comedy and melodrama on a social issues, marriage of convenience
    — arranged marriage between son of Earl Squanderfield and the daughter of a rich merchant
    — memento mori hint to the tragic end of the couple
    — secret lover escaped after the duel
    — countess returned to her home, took poison upon learning the news of execution of her lover, greedy father is removing a ring from her hand
  5. later published as engravings - precursors to comics and cartoons
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6
Q

William Hogarth - election series, canvassing for votes

A
  1. modern moral subject: electoral fraud in the notorious oxfordshire election in 1754
  2. a series of 4 paintings, a satire on corruption of politicians
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7
Q

Sir Joshau Reynolds

A
  1. grand manner of royal academy of arts
  2. trained as portraitist in London
  3. studied in Italy and attracted to Renaissance paintings
  4. influenced by the Grand manner of Nicolas Poussin, tracing back to Michelangelo(heroic solemnity) and Raphael (graceful elegance)
  5. 1st president of Royal Academy of Arts
  6. delivered lecture series “discourses on art”
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8
Q

Sir Joshua Reynolds - Lord Heathfield of Gibralta

A
  1. english commander defended Gibraltar against Spain and France
  2. Grand manner portraiture - depicting contemporary heroes who participated in great events
  3. noble character - sitter is idealized - a man of indomitable spirit
  4. holding key to the fortress at Gibraltar, symbol of his victory
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9
Q

Sir Joshua Reynolds - Colonel George K.H. Coussmaker

A
  1. love of leisure activity - british character
    2.casual but elegant pose of the person - broke the rigidity of the verticality
  2. curvature of the horse combined harmoniously with the verticality of the tree body
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10
Q

Anthony van Dyck - Portrait of Charles I

A
  1. count painter of Charles I, england
  2. sitter rendered in an elegant but leisurely pose
  3. exerted influence on later english portraiture
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11
Q

Thomas Gainsborough

A
  1. english rococo and naturalism
  2. riveal of Joshau Reynolds
  3. painter of royalty and aristocracy
  4. preferred independent landscape to portraiture
  5. naturalism - a lyrical approach to combine portraiture with landscape
  6. fluid and free brushwork, soft pastel colour - sensual figures reminiscent of Rococo
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12
Q

Thomas Gainsborough - Mrs Richard Brinsley

A
  1. an informal portrait
  2. naturalness of the sitter’s beauty - blended with the unspoiled beauty of the landscape through free, almost impressionistic brushwork
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13
Q

Thomas gainsborough - the mall in St James’s park

A
  1. stylish ladies having a walk - reminiscent of Watteau’s scenes of gallantry
  2. Rococo - shiny, fashionable costumes
  3. british character - aloofness of the subjects
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14
Q

Joseph Wright of Derby

A
  1. art of enlightenment - science and technology in painting
  2. derby - town with steam engine
  3. genre themes elevated to the status of history painting
    — heroized the search of knowledge
    — documentaries of lectures and experiments by scientists
  4. one of the last caravaggesque painters - candlelight paintings
    — use of tenebrism to heighten the drama of narrative (miracles, discoveries)
    — meticulous realism to give accurate account of his observation
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15
Q

Joseph wright of Derby - Philosophy lecturing on the Orrery (mechanical planetarium)

A
  1. caravaggesque chiaroscuro in the composition
  2. lecture given on sun-centered planetary system
  3. only light source - sun in the system
  4. embedded portrait of issac newton?
  5. repoussoir
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16
Q

Joseph wright of Derby - experiment with a bird in an air pump

A
  1. recorded experiment conducted by members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham - science exposed to ublic
  2. can be seen as vanitas painting
    — bird collapsed because of suffocation
17
Q

Benjamin West

A
  1. American painters active in england
  2. travelled to italy and came in touch with Neo-classicist painters
  3. settled in London and helped founded the Royal Academy
  4. 2nd president of Royal academy of arts
  5. created idealized history painting with protagonists in contemporary clothes
18
Q

Benjamin West - Death of General Wolfe

A
  1. england defeated france during conquest of quebec in 1759
  2. against tradition subject of history painting - classical or biblical past
  3. modern history painting - an idealized heroic scene in contemporary dress of a near-contemporary event
  4. group of mourning figures taken from poussin
  5. scene reminiscent of Jesus Christ in the Deposition from Cross
  6. tattooed native american in a classical contemplative pose
19
Q

Benjamin west - william penn’s treaty with the indians

A
  1. idealized history painting - important episode of the state of Pennsylvania told in perfect harmony between the 2 parties; conflict between the colonist and the indians were omitted
  2. Penn is making a generous gesture
  3. imaginary landscape with colonist buildings and indian huts
20
Q

John Singleton Copley

A
  1. american painter active in england
  2. already an established portrait painter in Boston
  3. left boston for italy and then settled in London during war of independence
  4. influenced by the Grand manner
21
Q

John Singleton Copley - Paul Revere

A
  1. Copley was active in Boston as portraitist before moving to London
  2. sitter - silversmith
  3. refined linear and metallic style
  4. realism with excellent likeness of the person
22
Q

John Singleton Copley - Brook Watson and the Shark

A
  1. personal event treated in Grand Manner –rendered like a history painting –heroic and tragic
  2. Watson –a classical nude, blond and idealized;
  3. rescuers –agitated like in religious themes