Ерус Е.С. All About Arts. Visual Art
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to produce to place to be replaced to bring to leave
to be echoed to be followed to see to
initiate to adopt to be encouraged to ensure
after N. Bacon
Portraiture in the 17 century, despite the resistance of the Painter-Stainers
Company, was largely dominated by foreign artists, and in particular by Van
Dyck.
Early portraits, such as those ________ during the reign of James I by
Marcus Gheeraerts, John de Critz (c. 1552 – 1642) and the English-born Robert
Peake and William Larkin, show sitters at full length, ________ formally often
awkwardly in a Turkish – carpeted interior, which, like the subjects' elaborate
and richly decorative costumes emphasizes social status and wealth rather than
individual character. These rigid conventions ________ by a greater naturalism,
in the work of Daniel Mytens, Paul van Somer (c. 1576 – 1622) and Cornelius
Johnson, but it was the arrival of Van Dyck in 1632 that ________about the
greatest transformation of English portraiture. Although at his death in 1641
he ________ no apparent successor to continue his elegant style of courtly
flamboyance, many elements of Van Dyck's portraiture ________ in subsequent
artists' work. The postures and sculptural and landscape backdrops ________
through the Civil War and Commonwealth portraits of William Dobson and
Robert Walker.
The second half of the century ________ the consolidation of the studio's role
in portrait production and the development of the 'series' portrait. This latter
genre ________ by Lely's Beauties and ________ with equal success by
Kneller ________ by many livery companies in the City of London and by
Oxford colleges. Their portrait collections underline the gradual shift a way
from royal and aristocratic patrons towards City merchants and institutions.
At the same time, the line engravings of William Faithorne and the invention
of the Mezzotint ________ a wider appreciation and awareness of different
artists' work.
C
after D. Piper
The 18th-century was the great age of British portraiture, though it began
unpromisingly. By 1700 British portrait painting was in a state of torpor:
dominated by Kneller, Principal Painter to the King, and his chief rival, the
Swede Michael Dahl (c. 1659–1743), its conventions had been standardized to
suit the taste of the age. Kneller was largely responsible for the polite Augustan
mask which denied the quest for individual character or likeness. Indeed, as
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Richardson noted in his Theory of Painting (1715), likeness was simply not
enough: the portrait painter's aims should be 'to raise the Character: To divest
an Unbred Person of his Rusticity, and give him something at least of a
Gentleman. To make one of a moderate Share of good Sense appear to have a
Competency, a Wise Man to be mere Wise, and a Brave Man to be more so ... is
absolutely necessary to a good Face-Painter'.
The instant success of Van Loo on his arrival from Paris in 1737 resulted
not only from the prevailing French fashion but also from his ability to capture
a more distinct likeness than his native rivals. The exception is Hogarth, whose
success as a portrait painter in the 17408 was partly inspired by the French
challenge. His achievement lay in a fresh, direct and solid appreciation of the
sociability of his sitters, who were often middle-class. Only Highmore could
occasionally match Hogarth's vein of informality. Informality is also the most
distinguishing characteristic of the Conversation Piece – portraiture in a social
context – which became increasingly popular from the 1720s.
In the mid-century fashionable portraiture was dominated by the prolific
Hudson, and by Ramsay, who both employed the services of Van Aken for their
drapery painting. Ramsay, with his Italian training, could at his most
accomplished rival the best in Europe, and until the young Reynolds returned
from Italy in 1753 his supremacy was unchallenged. Despite his technical
shortcomings, Reynolds was the most original and creative portrait painter of
the century. In attempting to elevate portraiture from the mundane level of 'face
painting' to the more esteemed academic genre of History, Reynolds used his
breadth of learning and knowledge of the Old masters to achieve that almost
inexhaustible variety of pose that occasioned Gainsborough's envious outburst,
'Damn him, how various he is!'.
Gainsborough and Reynolds, the supreme portrait painters of the later 18
century could hardly be more different. Unlike Reynolds (who used assistants)
Gainsborough revelled in painting sumptuous draperies and shimmering
reflections on rich surface textures with a delicacy 4nd ease of handling rarely
found in the work of his fellow countrymen. His mature style of the 1760s and
1770s owes much to Van Dyck.
Rommey, who in the late 1770s seriously challenged his elder rivals, seems
to have modelled his style on the casual nonchalance of Batoni, whose works he
saw in Rome in 1773 – 5. After the death of Gainsborough and Reynolds the
vacuum was filled by Beechey and Hoppner until the dazzling and vivacious
talent of Lawrence eclipsed his rivals in the last years of the century.
ANALYSING
Revise the information about portraiture and make a table ‘The Evolution
of British Portraiture’.
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British portraiture
before the 18
th
century
British portraiture
in the 18
th
century
READING 3
1. Read about landscape painting.
LANDSCAPE PAINTING
after M.Ogden
During the 17 century what Edward Norgate in 1649 called that 'harmless
and honest Recreation' which' diverts and lightens the mind' emerged as a
genre; and while by the end of the century it was still a relatively minor one, an
increasing number of references in literature, stage scenery and designs for
tapestry, plus developments in the manner of painting landscape, indicate its
growing popularity.
The genre was dominated by Flemish and Dutch artists. The early painting
of TILLEMANS incorporate a panoramic sweep of the English countryside
with a foreground of sporting and hunting activities. In 1660 Fendrik Danckerts
was producing large-scale decorative landscapes for Charles II and James II and
other collectors. Many of these landscapes were produced as overdoors and
overmentals.
In the I8-century landscape painting initially continued to be divided into 2
main branches. One, the topographical, included the delineation of estates and
country houses, while the other, the 'ideal', tended to be purely decorative, but
was increasingly expected to carry sonic notion of an 'idea' above mere reality,
usually referring to classical antiquity and literature.
As Britain had no 17 century tradition of her own to build on, the main
impulses in both branches continued to come from abroad, and the first stirrings
of a native school were timid, imitative and sporadic. Writing in 1743,
VERTUE could name only 4 native-born landscape painters, of whom only 2,
WOOTTON and LAMBERT, had any lasting influence. Wooton's main
achievement lay in the field of SPORTING art and Lambert's in scenery
painting, but both applied themselves with equal success to the topographical
and the classical modes, and did. well enough without having to resort to the
more lucrative business of 'face-painting'.
'Ideal' landscape continued for some time along the path of superficial
imitation of Claude, Poussin and Gaspard, best exemplified by George Smith of
Chichester (1714-76) and his brothers, but the first British painter to develop a
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real understanding of its intellectual and poetic potential was WILSON after his
arrival in Italy in 1750. He returned to London in 1757 with an enhanced
conception of landscape painting which paralleled REYNOLD'S
intellectualization of British portraiture and was in tune with the growing self-
awareness of the artistic community in general. The reinterpretation of classical
rules in a modem idiom led to looking at reality afresh, and it is significant that
Wilson's pupil Thomas JONES sketched in the 1770s and 1780s some of the
most intensely perceived views of Italy and Britain of the period. Wilson's own
late British views ennobled native landscape with a poetic awareness that would
not have been possible without an understanding of the old masters. At the
same time, they are the acknowledged origin of the dynamic developments in
naturalistic landscape of the 19 century.
GAINSBOROUGH'S achievement as a landscape painter covered no less
remarkable an evolution, from the early Dutch-inspired visions of Suffolk
(1750) to the Rococo-based Arcadia, with its echoes of Rubens and Poussin, of
his maturity, though he was never primarily regarded as a landscape painter. He
did not share his friend de LOUTH ERBOURG'S passion for movement and
violence in nature, but both painters were fascinated at a technical level with the
dramatic possibilities of light. This typically PICTURESQUE concern was
translated into painterly terms most nobly by WRIGHT OF DERBY, and
ultimately culminated in the light-worship of TURNER.
Gainsborough's gentle rusticity can be seen more justly as the ancestor of
the bucolic scenes of MORLAND and the breezy views of IBBETSON and his
ilk. It is in some ways also the precursor of CONSTABLE'S contemplative but
intense observation of the English countryside, which, along with TURNER'S
precocious genius and the explosive development of the British WATER-
COLOUR school, transcended the original conventions of the 18 century.
The 19th century began with great achievements. In the early decades
CONSTABLE and TURNER established landscape unequivocally as an
elevated genre, yet also brought to the fore its descriptive possibilities.
WATERCOLOUR became a genre in its own right, and landscape became the
focus for regional schools, especially NORWICH and BRISTOL. A classical
mood and structure persists, however, in different forms in the work of all the
major painters, even Constable. Thought OUTDOOR PAINTING became
popular it almost always represented a stage in the painting process rather than
an end in itself.
2. Answer the following questions:
1. What is landscape painting?
2. What names of painters do you know who belong to this genre?
3. When was landscape painting divided into 2 main branches?
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4. What achievements did Gainsborough reach as a landscape painter?
5. What happened in the 19 century landscape painting?
3. Summarise your factual knowledge of the subject. Tick those realia you
can comment on.
1. Landscape painting was dominated by Flemish and Dutch artists.
2. The early paintings incorporate a panoramic sweep of the English
countryside.
3. The 18-century landscape painting divided into 2 main branches.
4. Constable established landscape unequivocally as an elevated genre.
COMMUNICATION
You are an expert on an outstanding landscape painter. Note down about
five pieces of factual information and five pieces of personal information.
Your fellow-students will ask you questions to find out what you know
about it.
MARINE PAINTING
A
1. Read the following selection quickly. Find out this information:
a) When was marine painting introduced?
b) Name prominent artists of this trend of art.
2. Make up sentences of your own with the words in bold.
by D.Cordingly
Marine painting as a serious art form was introduced to England by the
VAN DE VELDES and their followers in the 1670s. Before the arrival of the
Dutchmen, marine art was mostly confined to manuscript illustrations,
decorative additions to charts and maps, and occasional pictures
commemorating historic events such as the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
For many years the work of the Van de Velde studio was dominant, and
artists such as Robert Woodcock (1692 – 1728), Peter Monamy (1681 – 1749),
and Charles Gore (1729 – 1846) frequently based their pictures on
compositions by Willem van de Velde the Younger. Only in the 1730s did an
English style begin to emerge. The movement was led by a group of artists who
lived and worked along the Thames. John Cleveley the Elder (c. 1712 – 77), a
former shipwright, painted bold and decorative pictures of London's shipyards;
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Samuel SCOTT made his name with views of London's waterfront; and the
gifted Deptford artist Charles BROOKING succeeded in combining the
accurate portrayal of shipping with a sensitive awareness of weather and the
changing patterns of light and shade.
The growth of a native school of marine art was encouraged by two distinct
developments. The first was the emergence of the Royal Navy as a formidable
sea power during the 18th-century. The victories of Howe, Rodney and Nelson
led to a steady demand for pictures of sea battles, and a number of artists with
seafaring experience, such as SERRES POPOCK, and William Anderson (1757
– 1837) made a good living from naval commissions. The second factor was a
changing attitude towards the sea and the seashore. Many of the novelists, poets
and artists associated with the Romantic movement turned to the sea as a source
of inspiration. Storms and shipwrecks appeared as a vivid demonstration of
man's frailty in the face of the elements; the beauty of nature was revealed in
atmospheric calms.
By the beginning of the Victorian period marine subjects of all types were
common on the walls of the ROYAL ACADEMY. The powerful realism of
Clarkson STANFIELD'S seascapes attracted the admiration of RUSKIN.
George Chambers (1803 – 40) and E.W. Cooke were particularly adept at
portraying fishing boats in all weathers. A.W. CALLCOTT, Copley FIELDING
and J.W. Carmichael (1800 – 1868) made their reputations with picturesque
views of harbours and river estuaries. The expansion of Britain's overseas
empire, and the trade which was dependent on a great fleet of merchant ships,
ensured success for artists who specialized in ship portraits.
B
Look through the text given below and fill in the blanks be the verbs
from the list. You are free to use some of the words more than once or not
to use some of them at all:
remained moved represented appeared felt
exhibited interested portrayed
"MORTLAKE TERRACE" BY J.M.W. TURNER
by Hereward Lester Cooke
1. Turner was ... in optical effects produced by light under varying conditions.
2. In this picture he has ... a scene looking directly into the rays of the afternoon
sun.
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3. With scientific exactness he has ... the golden path of the reflection on the
water, the sparkle of light on the lawn.
4. It seems curious that although the principle lines of the composition lead the
eye into the burning sun, there is a second point of view of interest – a black
dog on the parapet.
5. The explanation for this seems even more curious.
6. When the picture was first ... at the Royal Academy, there was no dog in the
picture in the morning, but in the afternoon it ... .
7. One painter ... that the composition needed a focal point, cut out the paper
dog and stuck it on the canvas. Seeing the addition to the work, the painter ... it
a little bit, touched it with dark paint and left.
8. So the paper dog has ... up to this day.
READING 4
1. Read the text:
A
The 20
th
century was an extremely busy and exciting for British painting.
At the first the tendency was, as often in the past, to imitate the big names from
Europe. The French impressionists had taken the art world by storm, and there
was little to do but try to copy them. Then Picasso and Braque came up with
something completely new – cubism; again British painters followed.
British history books are therefore pleased to report that in the middle of
the 20
th
century a new movement actually started in this country. In the 1950s
and 60s, Britain was in many ways a very fashionable place: British pop music
and clothes were big news all over the world. The visual arts too joined in this
successful piece of marketing. Pop art in particular caught the imagination of
young people. This movement dropped almost all previous ideas about painting,
and picked up the images of advertising, pop music and cheap everyday objects.
The first artists to do this were Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi
(who is Scottish, in spite of his Italian name) and Peter Blake (who did the
famous cover of the Beatles album Sergeant Pepper). In 1957, Hamilton said
that pop art should be: ‘Popular, expendable, low cost, mass produced, young,
witty, sexy, glamorous’.
The same feeling of confidence, freshness and innovation gave rise to other
styles, too. In her accurate, beautifully designed paintings, Bridget Riley made
images which created interesting optical effects – and as a result came to be
known as op art. One surprise was that at first she used only black and white, a
very unusual thing for a painter to do!
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2. Discuss the following:
What do you think of Hamilton’s statement about pop art? Should all art
be like this?
B
1. Read the text and answer the question – Is it important for an artist to
do something new and original?
One of the members of the 60s pop art movement has gone on to become
Britain’s favourite modern painter. At the time, David Hockney (born 1937)
fitted perfectly into that new, fashionable London scene. He was young, well-
dressed and gay, but came from a working-class background in Bradford in the
north of England; so for rich Londoners he was a breath of fresh air. But,
having followed a fashionable style at the beginning of his career, he has
developed a very personal way of painting which puts him outside any modern
art movement.
While younger artists have been playing around with all sorts of theories,
political statements and attempts to shock the public, Hockney has just
continued to produce lovely paintings with fabulous design sense and colours.
Like all great artists. Hockney had been through a number of periods in
which he changed his style and experimented. For example, in the 1980s he did
clever montages using photographs. He would take a lot of pictures of details of
a person, an object or a scene. Then he reassembled all the photos in a free
broken up – almost as in cubism.
But generally his work has been painting, often mixing graphic design with
realism, and always with a supremely modern sense of colour. This is what has
made him so popular with the public. His work can be seen everywhere: on
posters, postcards, calendars and T-shirts as well as in art books, museums and
galleries
2. Translate the text into English:
A
Национальная живопись в Англии начинается с Уильяма Хогарта.
Художник занимался исторической живописью, религиозными сюжетами.
Однако истинный Хогарт – это жанровые картины и гравюры. В своих
произведениях, объединённых в повествовательные циклы, он обращался
к разнообразным темам. Хогарт полагал, что его работы будут
способствовать улучшению нравов. Для того, чтобы как можно больше
людей могли познакомиться с произведениями, художник делал с них
гравюры, которые часто оказывались интереснее самих оригиналов.
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Все свою творческую жизнь Хогарт писал портреты: групповые,
парадные, автопортреты. Умение передать характер человека принесли
художнику успех. Портрет всегда был в Англии самым любимым жанром
живописи.
B
На формирование Томаса Гейнсборо, великого английского
портретиста XVIII века, значительное влияние оказали работы Ван Дейка.
Пейзаж в портретах Гейнсборо имеет большое значение. В зрелом
возрасте, когда Гейнсборо переселился в Лондон, он начал писать
портреты во весь рост на фоне пейзажа. Модели Гейнсборо поэтичны.
Художник придаёт особую хрупкость и изящество несколько удлинённым
женским фигурам. Светлая колористическая гамма становится
отличительной чертой его живописи. В портретах Гейнсборо отсутствуют
аллегории. Гейнсборо прошёл творческую эволюцию от детальной
манеры, близкой “малым голландцам”, к живописи широкой и свободной.
C
Новое отношение к природе воплотил в своём творчестве Джон
Констебль. Констебль никогда не покидал Англию. Он изучал только ту
живопись, которую мог видеть на родине. Констебль одним из первых
стал писать этюды на пленэре. Опередив в непосредственности
впечатления художников французской школы. Важным нововведением
Констебля явились его большие эскизы маслом. Констебль писал
смелыми подвижными мазками.
Картины Констебля на парижских выставках 1824 и 1825 гг. явились
истинным откровением для французских романтиков. Новаторская
живопись Констебля оказала большое влияние на развитие французского
пейзажа XIX века.
D
Уильям Тернер был типичным романтиком. К нему рано пришло
признание. С пятнадцатилетнего возраста он участвовал в ежегодных
выставках Королевской Академии искусств. Жизнь Тернера полна
загадок. В свои многократные путешествия Тернер часто уезжал тайно.
Наследие художника велико: более 21000 произведений на
исторические, мифологические, жанровые сюжеты, но главное – пейзажи.
Он тщательно изучал природу. Тернеру были нужны лишь некоторые
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стороны видимой реальности, от которой могла отталкиваться его
фантазия, создающая пейзаж, существующий только в его воображении.
Стихией Тернера было море, движение туч, бушующие стихии. Передача
световых эффектов, возникающих во влажной атмосфере, были главной
его задачей. Тернера интересовали мгновенные изменения в природе,
впечатление от света и воздуха, поиск передачи которого через несколько
десятков лет захватят целое поколение живописцев.
SEARCHING
What do you know about British painters?
Choose one of the painters below and make a report about their creative
work following the outline:
1) time-scale within the painter worked;
2) artistic movement his works belong to;
3) genre the artist pained in;
4) typical subject-matter of his paintings;
5) technique the painter used to create his masterpieces (colour-scheme,
composition, brush strokes);
6) main masterpieces
7) some peculiar features about the painter’s creative work.
The Golden Age:
William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, John Constable,
William Turner, George Stubbs, Waterhouse, Joseph Wright of Derby, George
Romney, Allan Ramsay, Henry Raeburn, George Morland, John Millais;
Late 19
th
– 20
th
centuries:
William Hunt, Gamriel Rosetti, Edward Coley, Richard Sickert, Edwin John,
Stanley Spensor, Ben Nicholson, Graham Southerland, Steven Lowry, David
Hockney