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Painting the fruitfulness of Autumn/Fall 1
With the autumn/fall fast approaching, in much of the northern hemisphere the harvest is reaching its conclusion. Although most traditionally painted as the grain harvest, even more nutritionally...
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Painting the fruitfulness of Autumn/Fall 2
In the first of these two articles looking at paintings of the fruit harvest, we had reached the Impressionist depictions of cherry-picking by Berthe Morisot in 1891. Towards the end of the century...
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Rich Media: In memoriam Georgette Agutte
On this day a century ago, the French politician Marcel Sembat died in Chamonix of a cerebral haemorrhage. A little later, his wife, the artist Georgette Agutte (1867–1922) died by her own hand,...
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In memoriam Léon Bonnat: Painter 1
This week we have another anniversary to mark, the centenary of the death of one of the greatest teachers of painting in the nineteenth century: Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (1833–1922), whose pupils...
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In memoriam Léon Bonnat: Painter 2
In the first of this series of two articles about the career and art of Léon Bonnat (1833–1922), I had reached his orientalist paintings of 1872. Léon Bonnat (1833–1922), Christ on the Cross (c 1874),...
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In memoriam Léon Bonnat: Teacher
A century ago, on 8 September 1922, the great painter and teacher Léon Bonnat (1833-1922) died. In the two preceding articles I have outlined his career and shown a selection of his paintings. Here I...
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Sunrise on Impressionism: 7 Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic
Several of those who exhibited their work at the First Impressionist Exhibition in April 1874 were never Impressionists, but friends of others who were. Viscount Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic (1839-1889) had...
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Paintings of Children at Play 1
If there’s one rule in painting, it’s never to paint children or animals, and only the very bravest will risk life and limb painting children playing away from grown-ups. This weekend I take a brief...
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Paintings of Children at Play 2
In the first of these two articles about paintings of children at play, I showed examples of those who broke the rule never to paint children or animals, from Pieter Brueghel the Elder in the middle of...
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Paintings of William Shakespeare’s Plays 14: Hamlet 1
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is William Shakespeare’s best-known and arguably his greatest play, and ranks among the greatest literature in the world. Most probably written at some time between 1598 and...
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Paintings of William Shakespeare’s Plays 15: Hamlet 2
In the first of these three articles covering paintings of Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, I outlined the plot around a selection of paintings of several of the scenes. However,...
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Paintings of William Shakespeare’s Plays 16: Hamlet 3
This third and final article covering Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, concludes my account of paintings of the death of Ophelia. The first article summarised the play’s plot and...
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Sunrise on Impressionism: 8 Félix Bracquemond
At the time of the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874, there was more to the movement than painting alone. Several of those showing their work were sculptors, and quite a few showed prints. Among...
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Painted Stories in Britain 3: Hogarth’s early series
By 1720, one British painter had been transforming the art of the nation with his often vast narrative works, James Thornhill (1675–1734). Despite his knighthood, service as a Member of Parliament, and...
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A weekend on the River Thames in paintings: 1 Maidenhead to Battersea
A few weeks ago, we took a boat trip down the River Seine, passing by many of the places painted by a dazzling array of artists. I’m delighted to invite you to join me this weekend on another painterly...
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A weekend on the River Thames in paintings: 2 Lambeth to the estuary
Yesterday we cruised down the River Thames in paintings, from Maidenhead in Berkshire (with JMW Turner) to Battersea Bridge (with James Abbott McNeill Whistler). Today we board our boat at Westminster...
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In memoriam Douglas Fox Pitt, painter of London-on-Sea
Earlier this year I wrote a series of articles looking at members of the Camden Town Group and their outer circle, including Douglas Fox Pitt (1864–1922). A century ago today, on 19 September 1922, Fox...
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Sunrise on Impressionism: 9 Zacharie Astruc
Next to Émile Zola, the writer, art critic, sculptor and painter Zacharie Astruc (1835-1907) was one of the major influencers in French arts during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was...
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Painted Stories in Britain 4: Hogarth extended
In the previous article, I showed William Hogarth’s first two narrative series, A Harlot’s Progress from 1731, and its compliment, A Rake’s Progress painted and printed between 1732-5. Spurred on by...
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Painting landscapes from Rome to Paris
By the end of the eighteenth century, when Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes published his textbook on landscape painting, French artists had advanced the genre to a new level, ready for the Barbizon School...
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