THE VIRTUOUS FIGURES AND GENRE SCENES

'Huntsmen's lunch'

From viticodevagamundo.blogspot.com

One of the most popular Italian artists of the 19th century, Raffaello Sorbi (Florence 1844 - Florence, 1931) achieved enormous commercial success for his luminous and vivacious depictions of the 'good life' set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. The many esteemed dealers who represented Sorbi throughout his life included Adolphe Goupil in Paris, Arthur Tooth in London, Heinemann in Munich and Schulte in Berlin.

Late in his career, Sorbi was also awarded with the Commendatore del Regno, the highest Italian distinction. The Huntsmen's Lunch exemplifies Sorbi's accomplished manner of genre painting that combines a realist style with an idealized portrayal of 18th-century country life. The scene depicts a group of men in 18th-century dress, regaling one another with stories from the morning's hunt. Sorbi's skill at rendering narrative is matched by his ability to capture the varied qualities of light. The work's sun-dappled effect suggests Sorbi's relationship with the Macchiaioli movement that developed in Italy in the mid-19th century. In response to what seemed to be destructive new advances in technology, the Macchiaioli movement focused its attention on nature by recording the effects of light, shadow and atmosphere in their depictions of quintessentially Italian subject matter.

(christies.com)

The Departure of the Hunting Party

An Outdoor Cafe La Ripresa del Barberi

From chinaoilpaintinggallery.com

The winning hand

From m.sothebys.com

Set on the terrace of an archetypal Italian tavern, The Winning Hand (est. £130,000-180,000) epitomises Raffaello Sorbi’s trademark style of colourful folk scenes, set in the Tuscan countryside surrounding his native Florence. The painting communicates Sorbi's wish to depict Italy as a unified whole at the time of the risorgimento, in which camaraderie prevails and all social classes live in harmony. Here, the nobility as well as local villagers share their enjoyment of a fine summer's afternoon, decked in anachronistic eighteenth-century costumes to transcend the realm of the artist’s and viewer’s present-day. Sorbi's colourful and playful paintings were enormously popular during his own lifetime, recognized through his receipt of the highest Italian accolade, the Commendatore del Regno.

(files.shareholder.com)

The Chess Players “La Partita a Scacchi”

From allpaintings.org

Most chess clubs are rather subdued introverted places dedicated to the pursuit of our favorite, if not-yet-popular-enough, game. In nineteenth century Italy they may have thought that comely serving wenches would broaden its appeal. Come on down and get a rollicking good game, even if the rest of the company is distracted by feasting, carousing, and other ribald diversions. That's the message from Sorbi's rumbustious extravert image. You might be in Italy, but there's little chance of a quiet game here. Although you can't see the position on the board, it is obvious that a tame draw by repetition is not on the cards. Yes. Draw by repetition: the artistic credo of Signor Sorbi, whose pencil, followed by his brush, recycled the scene several years later, albeit in a mirror image, sort of.

(Guest post by Martin Smith at streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com)

A Sunlit Osteria

From streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com

It is spring at last, and the willow, now on the left, has burst into leaf. A brace of horsemen appear to have stopped by, and enjoy the last glimmer of the low evening sun. This is a rather daring innovation and Signor Sorbi must have been pleased with himself. Carried away he airbrushes the game of chess. If the artist has second thoughts it would be no trouble to pop it back in, and our rather forward friend could play his move without so much as j'adoube. The simple God-fearing fellows would continue their debate; "White pawn to queen's knight fourth in the Italian Game, on move four!?" "Mamma Mia, for an 'acker it is manna from the 'eavens"...and so on. Sorbi's 1913 version, minus board, shows the length, the extraordinary length, to which an artist will go to portray people in blatant and unabashed acts of not playing chess.

(Martin Smith at streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com)

'Der Ausritt' Source Hampel Auctions

From commons.wikimedia.org

Raffaello Sorbi studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence under the guidance of Antonio Ciseri. Its beginnings were marked by an academic historian who winks at the audience and that is why it attracts a bevy of criticism, especially from those who are averse to traditional neoclassical painting and romantic, as the Macchiaioli. Then changed the nature of his paintings, making them more relevant to reality, although he continued to prefer environments historic medieval, eighteenth century if not of imperial Rome. He also painted landscapes that show strong harmonies with the compositions Macchiaioli.

Raffaello Sorbi's career is professionally and economically enriched by the encounter with the French merchant Eugene Goupil, which in 1872 signed an exclusive agreement for a period of seven years, for a monthly cachet of 1000 francs. For him, then opened the doors of the international market, especially appreciated the ability to draw the virtuous figures and genre scenes. He consequently had contacts with the German merchants, Heinemann and Schulte, and the English merchant, Tooth. In 1892 he was able also to test the teaching career, becoming professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

(artfinding.com)

'A game of morra'

From viticodevagamundo.blogspot.com

Sorbi’s first exhibited work, at the precocious age of seventeen was a historical scene and it was in the historical genre that he was to become so renowned. His historical subject matter however was broad, he was one of several artists including Ettore Forti and Luigi Bazzani (1836-1927), who painted classical subjects inspired by Pompeii, the ruins of which were a significant attraction for those on the Grand Tour. Sorbi exhibited many works of this specific genre including “The Road to Pompeii under Rain”, “The Terracotta Vendor”, “The Liquor Seller” and “A Roman Idyll”. In later years Sorbi turned away from this genre turning more to scenes of everyday life, frequently set in the eighteenth century, subjects like “A Game of Morra”, or “The Serenade”. Sorbi was enormously popular throughout Europe and the United States, as can be gauged by the fact that he was represented by the leading Paris dealer Goupil. His highly detailed style, quality of light and subject matter is being of universal appeal. He exhibited works in Florence, Parma and Paris. His works can be found in museums in: Florence and Prague.

(macconnal-mason.com)

ONE OF THE 19TH-CENTURY'S PREMIER NAVAL ARTISTS

One of the nineteenth century’s premier naval artists, Julian Oliver Davidson (1853-1894) was born in Cumberland, Maryland to a family of education and means. As a child, Davidson made five trips to Cuba, sailing with his engineer father who was overseeing railroad construction in that country. Thus began Davidson’s love for the ocean, a passion that would inform his personal and professional life thereafter.

At the age of seventeen, Davidson ran away to sea, crewing on ships that traveled to the Mediterranean and Orient. He returned home, laden with sketchbooks and paintings from his experiences, and, settling in New York, undertook instruction with the Dutch painter Mauritz F. H. de Haas in the legendary Tenth Street Studio Building. There, he came into contact with Hudson River luminaries such as Winslow Homer, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstadt, and Stanford R. Gifford. The romantic sensibilities of the Hudson River school can be seen in the vigor and vitality of Davidson’s marine scenes and large history paintings, including a series of works documenting key naval engagements of the War of 1812.

(The Charleston Renaissance Gallery at fada.com)

Julian O. Davidson is best known for his commissioned paintings of American naval engagements. He also authored and illustrated childrens’ books, America’s cup races for magazines and was a champion rower. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Nyack Rowing Association. His career shortened by a sudden illness, combined with the loss of some known works, makes original art by Davidson a rare commodity today. Born to family of noticeable wealth and artistic inclinations, and after a military school education and a brief apprenticeship in his father’s engineering firm, he struck out on his own at 17. He literally “ran away to sea” as he would later call it. Joining the crew of the pacific mail steamship ARIZONA, bound for the orient by way of the Mediterranean Sea, he was onboard when she became the first American vessel to travel the Suez Canal. Davidson filled sketch books with the varied scenes he observed on his world travels, which aided him in several future artistic ventures.

(vallejogallery.com)

The Battle of Lake Erie

From battleoflakeerieart.com

The Battle of Lake Erie was fought on September 10, 1813; the extraordinary lead-up to the battle is part of what makes it so significant and exciting. The story begins a year and a quarter earlier, just three weeks after war was declared on June 18, 1812. Slightly less than two thousand US ground troops under the command of William Hull invaded Canada but failed to capture the British fleet moored in Malden, their Canadian home port on the northwestern end of Lake Erie. When the Indians and British sent in their reinforcement troops, the American troops retreated back to Fort Detroit and thinking they were outnumbered and about to be slaughtered, surrender without a shot being fired. Missing the support from Fort Detroit, other American frontier forts and significant areas to the west were also lost. Upon hearing this news, Congress fell back upon “Plan B”: i.e., build (and pay for) America’s first naval fleet of wooden warships from forests that lined Lake Erie’s southern shores, and then engage the British in a naval battle on Lake Erie. When General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit to the British in July 1812, Daniel Dobbins hid neck deep under a half sunken gunboat to avoid capture. Dobbins was the experienced captain of the merchant ship Salina, trading in furs and other goods; he often traveled between Lake Huron and his homeport on Lake Erie. Under the cover of darkness, Dobbins swam to a passing Frenchman in a canoe and was rescued. Eventually, after sailing a boatload of sick and wounded soldiers back to Cleveland, he made his way to Washington, D.C., to give eyewitness testimony to Congress about the surrender of Detroit and other losses suffered in the Upper Lakes region. After hearing Dobbins’ testimony, Congress decided that his extensive knowledge of the Great Lakes coastline qualified him to select the location for the new shipyard. As a reward for his heroism, on September 16, 1812, he was appointed Sailingmaster in the United States Navy in charge of the soon-to-be Presque Ile, Erie, shipyards.....

(designplex.net)

US Brig Niagara Photo

©1993 Maritime Collectors

From battleoflakeerieart.com

Through the smoke, the Brig Claredonia and other ships of the American fleet can be seen in the positions they actually occupied; flanked behind the Niagara (above), on the far left, the Sloop Trippe can be seen firing her guns. The profile of the Niagara matches the original plans drawn by Naval Architect Henry Eckford; the warring ships are "at half pistol shot distance apart," as Perry's log indicates. Judging from the thick smoke and fire, Perry's cannons appear to have been double loaded and are blasting out of both sides of the ship, attacking four opponents at once. Kentucky sharpshooters can be seen shooting rifles from up in the sails, killing everything that moves on the enemy decks. Perry’s blue and white pennant reading, "Don't give up the ship" is flying, and the ship's rigging is correct. The water is rendered accurately as flat waves found off the western shores of Put-in-Bay, on Lake Erie, and not like deep rolling ocean waves. We also see clearly that Perry has caused the British Queen Charlotte and the Detroit to collide by blocking the wind and shooting down a topsail stay. The British ships have been trapped as Perry attains that ultimate goal of battling tall ships, the "cross the T" position.

Davidson allows us to view Perry’s death-defying resurrection from defeat as he suddenly unleashes overwhelming power moments before the entire British fleet begs for mercy and surrenders. Some very astute critics, looking for meaning in small details, conjecture that "…for dramatic purposes, Davidson has raised the position of the American flag, because infrared analysis indicates that the flag had been lower in the under painting"(Beman). Other scholars marvel that the flag position precisely indicates Perry’s secret code signaling to the other American fleet to close in for attack and bring up reinforcements (Dillon).

(Loren Bloom at battleoflakeerieart.com)

KEARSARGE & ALABAMA

From vallejogallery.com

The historic June 19, 1864 duel between two American ships off the coast of France (above) resulted in the sinking of the most successful of the Confederate Raiders, a fast screw sloop-of-war, ALABAMA. Blockaded in the port of Cherbourg while making needed repairs, Captain Ralph Semmes notified Captain John A. Winslow, in command of the Union Sloop KEARSARGE, that he would come out to battle. Semmes intended to allow his crew, just slightly outnumbered and outgunned, to fire first at a range of 1500', and then steam close to board with the enemy. KEARSARGE held to 1000' and instead of closing with the Confederate, circled closer to throw devastating broadside attacks. ALABAMA, hampered with old, deteriorating powder from her two-year world cruise against the North’s shipping interests, knew her fate would soon be found at the bottom of the Atlantic. After one hour and ten minutes, and 173 shots fired from KEARSARGE, ALABAMA was lost with 127 men out of 149 rescued. Three sailors onboard the Union ship were injured. This excellent painting is a fitting artistic tribute to the North’s victory by Davidson, and it’s a rare depiction of on-deck action in a 19TH Century naval battle scene. The Union Navy crew has just begun its somber celebration with ALABAMA evidently floundering amid the gray haze of the battles smoke-filled sky. KEARSARGE’s crew mans the 11" Dahlgren smooth-barrel mid-deck, an early application of the large bore guns that would revolutionize Naval Warfare. The men congratulate each other for their gunnery skill and set about to tend to their wounded, a great late depiction of an epic moment of the American Civil War.

(vallejogallery.com)

Capture of New Orleans by Union Flag Officer David Farragut

From images.fineartamerica.com

First fight between Ironclads

From images.fineartamerica.com

Near Iona Island on the Hudson

From vallejogallery.com

Davidson’s remarkable facility with naval illustration proved highly marketable during the Civil War. He was a regular illustrator for both The Century and Harper’s, providing detailed artistic accounts of naval operations and battles. Later in his career, he found equal commercial demand for his depictions of sailing sports. A champion rower, Davidson lived on the Hudson River where he found ample subject matter for his brush. A frequent exhibitor at the National Academy of Design and the Salmagundi Club, Davidson’s life was cut short by a sudden illness at the age of forty-one.

(The Charleston Renaissance Gallery at fada.com)

ONE OF THE 19TH-CENTURY'S PREMIER NAVAL ARTISTS

One of the nineteenth century’s premier naval artists, Julian Oliver Davidson (1853-1894) was born in Cumberland, Maryland to a family of education and means. As a child, Davidson made five trips to Cuba, sailing with his engineer father who was overseeing railroad construction in that country. Thus began Davidson’s love for the ocean, a passion that would inform his personal and professional life thereafter.

At the age of seventeen, Davidson ran away to sea, crewing on ships that traveled to the Mediterranean and Orient. He returned home, laden with sketchbooks and paintings from his experiences, and, settling in New York, undertook instruction with the Dutch painter Mauritz F. H. de Haas in the legendary Tenth Street Studio Building. There, he came into contact with Hudson River luminaries such as Winslow Homer, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstadt, and Stanford R. Gifford. The romantic sensibilities of the Hudson River school can be seen in the vigor and vitality of Davidson’s marine scenes and large history paintings, including a series of works documenting key naval engagements of the War of 1812.

(The Charleston Renaissance Gallery at fada.com)

Julian O. Davidson is best known for his commissioned paintings of American naval engagements. He also authored and illustrated childrens’ books, America’s cup races for magazines and was a champion rower. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Nyack Rowing Association. His career shortened by a sudden illness, combined with the loss of some known works, makes original art by Davidson a rare commodity today. Born to family of noticeable wealth and artistic inclinations, and after a military school education and a brief apprenticeship in his father’s engineering firm, he struck out on his own at 17. He literally “ran away to sea” as he would later call it. Joining the crew of the pacific mail steamship ARIZONA, bound for the orient by way of the Mediterranean Sea, he was onboard when she became the first American vessel to travel the Suez Canal. Davidson filled sketch books with the varied scenes he observed on his world travels, which aided him in several future artistic ventures.

(vallejogallery.com)

The Battle of Lake Erie

From battleoflakeerieart.com

The Battle of Lake Erie was fought on September 10, 1813; the extraordinary lead-up to the battle is part of what makes it so significant and exciting. The story begins a year and a quarter earlier, just three weeks after war was declared on June 18, 1812. Slightly less than two thousand US ground troops under the command of William Hull invaded Canada but failed to capture the British fleet moored in Malden, their Canadian home port on the northwestern end of Lake Erie. When the Indians and British sent in their reinforcement troops, the American troops retreated back to Fort Detroit and thinking they were outnumbered and about to be slaughtered, surrender without a shot being fired. Missing the support from Fort Detroit, other American frontier forts and significant areas to the west were also lost. Upon hearing this news, Congress fell back upon “Plan B”: i.e., build (and pay for) America’s first naval fleet of wooden warships from forests that lined Lake Erie’s southern shores, and then engage the British in a naval battle on Lake Erie. When General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit to the British in July 1812, Daniel Dobbins hid neck deep under a half sunken gunboat to avoid capture. Dobbins was the experienced captain of the merchant ship Salina, trading in furs and other goods; he often traveled between Lake Huron and his homeport on Lake Erie. Under the cover of darkness, Dobbins swam to a passing Frenchman in a canoe and was rescued. Eventually, after sailing a boatload of sick and wounded soldiers back to Cleveland, he made his way to Washington, D.C., to give eyewitness testimony to Congress about the surrender of Detroit and other losses suffered in the Upper Lakes region. After hearing Dobbins’ testimony, Congress decided that his extensive knowledge of the Great Lakes coastline qualified him to select the location for the new shipyard. As a reward for his heroism, on September 16, 1812, he was appointed Sailingmaster in the United States Navy in charge of the soon-to-be Presque Ile, Erie, shipyards.....

(designplex.net)

US Brig Niagara Photo

©1993 Maritime Collectors

From battleoflakeerieart.com

Through the smoke, the Brig Claredonia and other ships of the American fleet can be seen in the positions they actually occupied; flanked behind the Niagara (above), on the far left, the Sloop Trippe can be seen firing her guns. The profile of the Niagara matches the original plans drawn by Naval Architect Henry Eckford; the warring ships are "at half pistol shot distance apart," as Perry's log indicates. Judging from the thick smoke and fire, Perry's cannons appear to have been double loaded and are blasting out of both sides of the ship, attacking four opponents at once. Kentucky sharpshooters can be seen shooting rifles from up in the sails, killing everything that moves on the enemy decks. Perry’s blue and white pennant reading, "Don't give up the ship" is flying, and the ship's rigging is correct. The water is rendered accurately as flat waves found off the western shores of Put-in-Bay, on Lake Erie, and not like deep rolling ocean waves. We also see clearly that Perry has caused the British Queen Charlotte and the Detroit to collide by blocking the wind and shooting down a topsail stay. The British ships have been trapped as Perry attains that ultimate goal of battling tall ships, the "cross the T" position.

Davidson allows us to view Perry’s death-defying resurrection from defeat as he suddenly unleashes overwhelming power moments before the entire British fleet begs for mercy and surrenders. Some very astute critics, looking for meaning in small details, conjecture that "…for dramatic purposes, Davidson has raised the position of the American flag, because infrared analysis indicates that the flag had been lower in the under painting"(Beman). Other scholars marvel that the flag position precisely indicates Perry’s secret code signaling to the other American fleet to close in for attack and bring up reinforcements (Dillon).

(Loren Bloom at battleoflakeerieart.com)

KEARSARGE & ALABAMA

From vallejogallery.com

The historic June 19, 1864 duel between two American ships off the coast of France (above) resulted in the sinking of the most successful of the Confederate Raiders, a fast screw sloop-of-war, ALABAMA. Blockaded in the port of Cherbourg while making needed repairs, Captain Ralph Semmes notified Captain John A. Winslow, in command of the Union Sloop KEARSARGE, that he would come out to battle. Semmes intended to allow his crew, just slightly outnumbered and outgunned, to fire first at a range of 1500', and then steam close to board with the enemy. KEARSARGE held to 1000' and instead of closing with the Confederate, circled closer to throw devastating broadside attacks. ALABAMA, hampered with old, deteriorating powder from her two-year world cruise against the North’s shipping interests, knew her fate would soon be found at the bottom of the Atlantic. After one hour and ten minutes, and 173 shots fired from KEARSARGE, ALABAMA was lost with 127 men out of 149 rescued. Three sailors onboard the Union ship were injured. This excellent painting is a fitting artistic tribute to the North’s victory by Davidson, and it’s a rare depiction of on-deck action in a 19TH Century naval battle scene. The Union Navy crew has just begun its somber celebration with ALABAMA evidently floundering amid the gray haze of the battles smoke-filled sky. KEARSARGE’s crew mans the 11" Dahlgren smooth-barrel mid-deck, an early application of the large bore guns that would revolutionize Naval Warfare. The men congratulate each other for their gunnery skill and set about to tend to their wounded, a great late depiction of an epic moment of the American Civil War.

(vallejogallery.com)

Capture of New Orleans by Union Flag Officer David Farragut

From images.fineartamerica.com

First fight between Ironclads

From images.fineartamerica.com

Near Iona Island on the Hudson

From vallejogallery.com

Davidson’s remarkable facility with naval illustration proved highly marketable during the Civil War. He was a regular illustrator for both The Century and Harper’s, providing detailed artistic accounts of naval operations and battles. Later in his career, he found equal commercial demand for his depictions of sailing sports. A champion rower, Davidson lived on the Hudson River where he found ample subject matter for his brush. A frequent exhibitor at the National Academy of Design and the Salmagundi Club, Davidson’s life was cut short by a sudden illness at the age of forty-one.

(The Charleston Renaissance Gallery at fada.com)

SCOTTISH NATURALIST PAINTER OF THE GLASGOW SCHOOL

Joseph Crawhill

Source Glasgow Boys, Roger Bilcliffe

Author T and R Annan, Glasgow

From commons.wikimedia.org

Inspired by the Dutch and French schools and artists like James A. McNeil Whistler, the Glasgow boys produced their most notable works between the 1890’s and 1910. Showing an interest in realism, impressionism and inspired by compositional techniques, the Glasgow Boys tried to challenge the Edinburgh dominated art scene.

In the years prior to the outbreak of war in 1914, Glasgow was part of a great artistic evolution. The Glasgow School or Glasgow Boys as they are known paved the way for a new ‘modern’ style of painting that swept Europe and America. From the 1880’s the Glasgow Boys were exhibiting their works in the Salon in Paris. The Glasgow Boys consisted of an informal association of some twenty artists; its main figures were William York Macgregor, Joseph Crawhall, George Henry, Edward Atkinson Hornel, Sir John Lavery and Arthur Melville. Many members of this Glasgow collective went to France to study in Paris or in the rural artists' colonies in France. The paintings done by many of the group during the 1880s was among their most radical. Their compositions showed a particular interest in rural realism, in working out-of-doors, and in French-inspired tonal and compositional techniques.

(edinburghmuseums.org.uk)

Piebald Driving

From artfund.org

Joseph Crawhall (1861 – 1913) was one such member of the Glasgow Boys, who used unconventional methods often working from visual memory. The painting Piebald Driving is finely executed with a vivid sense of movement. Crawhall is generally recognized as one of the greatest draughtsman of his age, using a free and rapid technique in order to capture the atmosphere of a scene through a few deft pen and brush marks. Most of his paintings include animals, particularly horses, and his best work is highly sensitive to the character of the subject.

(edinburghmuseums.org.uk)

Joseph Crawhall

From nationalgalleries.org

Walton's small-scale portrait of his friend Joseph Crawhall shows him in a studio, a clay pipe in one hand, leaning against the back of a canvas. Bullfighting posters are attached to the canvas which is propped against another depicting a bull-fight. They allude to several of Crawhall's artistic preoccupations: Spain, Morocco and animals. The two artists met through Walton's brother Richard who married Crawhall's sister Judith. Walton's main interest was landscape painting but he was also a gifted portraitist and makes humorous reference to contemporary stylistic labeling in his inscription: 'Joe Crawhall the impressionist by E.A.Walton the realist'.

(nationalgalleries.org)

The Aviary
Clifton Bridgeman Art Library / Burrell Collection

Glasgow, Scotland Culture and Sport Glasgow (Museums)

From artfinder.com

A Lincolnshire Pasture

From wanderingsineden.blogspot.com

Spangled Cock Current Loc Privatsammlung

Source Sally Liddell: Sotherby's Art at Auction 1988-89

Sotheby's Publications, London

From commons.wikimedia.org

Joseph Crawhall was born in Morpeth, Northumberland. He was the fourth child and second son of Joseph Crawhall II and Margaret Boyd. Crawhall specialised in painting animals and birds. In the 1880s and 1890s, his work became associated with the Glasgow Boys. He was strongly influenced by the Impressionists, and, like them, his work was rejected by the Establishment, in his case in the form of the Royal Scottish Academy. In the 1880s he travelled throughout Morocco and Spain, abandoning oil painting and moving to watercolours with a lighter palette. Many of his works are viewable in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and in the Burrell Collection.

(en.wikipedia.org)

The Governess Cart

Source Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove, Glasgow, Scotland

From en.wikipedia.org

Pigeons on the Roof

From media.artfinder.com

The Byre

From collections.glasgowmuseums.com

Barnet Fair

From collections.glasgowmuseums.com

In the 1890s, after his family had moved to London, Crawhall was a regular visitor to the annual fair in the London borough of Barnet and painted the picture Barnet Fair. Here Crawhall captures the color and atmosphere of this centuries-old event in the paint technique Gouache on Linen. This painting is held at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Tangier, with its walled Medina intersected by narrow streets and dominated by the Kasbah, was perceived by the writers, artists and tourists who dared travel there as a mystical, magical place. Unlike most artist visitors to Tangier, Crawhall was not interested in portraying the social or physical context of the city. Instead he captured and conveyed the characteristics of Tangier's domestic animals, particularly horses, camels and goats.

Crawhall first painted with gouache on linen around 1893. According to family legend he was visiting one of his sisters when he discovered that he had no paper left to work on. He decided to experiment with the brown Holland linen she used for sewing. Watercolor is transparent. By adding bodycolor or Chinese white you get gouache, which unlike watercolor is opaque. This is sometimes known as poster paint. Painting with gouache on linen is difficult but Crawhall uses it to advantage. Crawhall often uses bright patches of colour to frame and outline forms allowing him to define shapes without having to use strong contouring lines.

(jenniferwilsonart.co.uk)

Crawhall was one of the most talented and highly regarded artists ever produced by Scotland. His favorite subjects were often painted on linen or silk. He is recognized as one of the most important horse painters of the twentieth century and his intimate knowledge of animals and birds can also be clearly seen in his work. Although he worked extremely rapidly, he was a great perfectionist and he once discarded a picture, retrieved from the waste bin by a friend, which later won a gold medal in Munich. This perfectionism, coupled with his early death, from emphysema (he was a heavy smoker), account for the small volume of surviving work. He died in London on 24th May 1913, aged 51.

(caltongallery.co.uk)

SCOTTISH NATURALIST PAINTER OF THE GLASGOW SCHOOL

Joseph Crawhill

Source Glasgow Boys, Roger Bilcliffe

Author T and R Annan, Glasgow

From commons.wikimedia.org

Inspired by the Dutch and French schools and artists like James A. McNeil Whistler, the Glasgow boys produced their most notable works between the 1890’s and 1910. Showing an interest in realism, impressionism and inspired by compositional techniques, the Glasgow Boys tried to challenge the Edinburgh dominated art scene.

In the years prior to the outbreak of war in 1914, Glasgow was part of a great artistic evolution. The Glasgow School or Glasgow Boys as they are known paved the way for a new ‘modern’ style of painting that swept Europe and America. From the 1880’s the Glasgow Boys were exhibiting their works in the Salon in Paris. The Glasgow Boys consisted of an informal association of some twenty artists; its main figures were William York Macgregor, Joseph Crawhall, George Henry, Edward Atkinson Hornel, Sir John Lavery and Arthur Melville. Many members of this Glasgow collective went to France to study in Paris or in the rural artists' colonies in France. The paintings done by many of the group during the 1880s was among their most radical. Their compositions showed a particular interest in rural realism, in working out-of-doors, and in French-inspired tonal and compositional techniques.

(edinburghmuseums.org.uk)

Piebald Driving

From artfund.org

Joseph Crawhall (1861 – 1913) was one such member of the Glasgow Boys, who used unconventional methods often working from visual memory. The painting Piebald Driving is finely executed with a vivid sense of movement. Crawhall is generally recognized as one of the greatest draughtsman of his age, using a free and rapid technique in order to capture the atmosphere of a scene through a few deft pen and brush marks. Most of his paintings include animals, particularly horses, and his best work is highly sensitive to the character of the subject.

(edinburghmuseums.org.uk)

Joseph Crawhall

From nationalgalleries.org

Walton's small-scale portrait of his friend Joseph Crawhall shows him in a studio, a clay pipe in one hand, leaning against the back of a canvas. Bullfighting posters are attached to the canvas which is propped against another depicting a bull-fight. They allude to several of Crawhall's artistic preoccupations: Spain, Morocco and animals. The two artists met through Walton's brother Richard who married Crawhall's sister Judith. Walton's main interest was landscape painting but he was also a gifted portraitist and makes humorous reference to contemporary stylistic labeling in his inscription: 'Joe Crawhall the impressionist by E.A.Walton the realist'.

(nationalgalleries.org)

The Aviary
Clifton Bridgeman Art Library / Burrell Collection

Glasgow, Scotland Culture and Sport Glasgow (Museums)

From artfinder.com

A Lincolnshire Pasture

From wanderingsineden.blogspot.com

Spangled Cock Current Loc Privatsammlung

Source Sally Liddell: Sotherby's Art at Auction 1988-89

Sotheby's Publications, London

From commons.wikimedia.org

Joseph Crawhall was born in Morpeth, Northumberland. He was the fourth child and second son of Joseph Crawhall II and Margaret Boyd. Crawhall specialised in painting animals and birds. In the 1880s and 1890s, his work became associated with the Glasgow Boys. He was strongly influenced by the Impressionists, and, like them, his work was rejected by the Establishment, in his case in the form of the Royal Scottish Academy. In the 1880s he travelled throughout Morocco and Spain, abandoning oil painting and moving to watercolours with a lighter palette. Many of his works are viewable in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and in the Burrell Collection.

(en.wikipedia.org)

The Governess Cart

Source Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove, Glasgow, Scotland

From en.wikipedia.org

Pigeons on the Roof

From media.artfinder.com

The Byre

From collections.glasgowmuseums.com

Barnet Fair

From collections.glasgowmuseums.com

In the 1890s, after his family had moved to London, Crawhall was a regular visitor to the annual fair in the London borough of Barnet and painted the picture Barnet Fair. Here Crawhall captures the color and atmosphere of this centuries-old event in the paint technique Gouache on Linen. This painting is held at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Tangier, with its walled Medina intersected by narrow streets and dominated by the Kasbah, was perceived by the writers, artists and tourists who dared travel there as a mystical, magical place. Unlike most artist visitors to Tangier, Crawhall was not interested in portraying the social or physical context of the city. Instead he captured and conveyed the characteristics of Tangier's domestic animals, particularly horses, camels and goats.

Crawhall first painted with gouache on linen around 1893. According to family legend he was visiting one of his sisters when he discovered that he had no paper left to work on. He decided to experiment with the brown Holland linen she used for sewing. Watercolor is transparent. By adding bodycolor or Chinese white you get gouache, which unlike watercolor is opaque. This is sometimes known as poster paint. Painting with gouache on linen is difficult but Crawhall uses it to advantage. Crawhall often uses bright patches of colour to frame and outline forms allowing him to define shapes without having to use strong contouring lines.

(jenniferwilsonart.co.uk)

Crawhall was one of the most talented and highly regarded artists ever produced by Scotland. His favorite subjects were often painted on linen or silk. He is recognized as one of the most important horse painters of the twentieth century and his intimate knowledge of animals and birds can also be clearly seen in his work. Although he worked extremely rapidly, he was a great perfectionist and he once discarded a picture, retrieved from the waste bin by a friend, which later won a gold medal in Munich. This perfectionism, coupled with his early death, from emphysema (he was a heavy smoker), account for the small volume of surviving work. He died in London on 24th May 1913, aged 51.

(caltongallery.co.uk)

EARLY IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER

Johan Barthold Jongkind

From passionforpaintings.com

Jongkind (3 June 1819 – 9 February 1891) was born in the town of Lattrop in the Overijssel province of the Netherlands near the border with Germany. Trained at the art academy in The Hague, in 1846 he moved to the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France where he studied under Eugène Isabey and Francois-Edouard Picot. Two years later, the Paris Salon accepted his work for its exhibition, and he received acclaim from critic Charles Baudelaire and later on from Emile Zola.

Jongkind  was to experience little success, however, and he suffered bouts of depression complicated by alcoholism. He returned to live in Rotterdam in 1855, and remained there until 1860. Back in Paris in 1861 he rented a studio on the rue de Chevreuse in Montparnasse where some of his paintings began to show glimpses of the Impressionist style to come. In 1862 he met in Normandy with some of his artist friends, such as Alfred Sisley and Eugene Boudin, the young Claude Monet who later referred to Jongkind as "...a quiet man with such a talent that is beyond words." The following year Jongkind exhibited at the first Salon des Refusés. Despite several successes, in another of his down periods the Impressionist group did not accept his work for their first exhibition in 1874.

(Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Strand von Ste. Adresse

Current loc Louvre Museum

Source The Yorck Project

From en.wikipedia.org

Seascape with ponies on the beach

From fineartamerica.com

‘Canal près de Rotterdam’

From artnet.com

Mills near Rotterdam

Current loc Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Source rijksmuseum.nl

From commons.wikimedia.org

View of the Seine

From fondationcustodia.fr

Jongkind completed his training in Eugène Isabey’s studio. He often painted cityscapes, including this early view of the Seine, which can be dated in 1853. His works from this initial period are often panoramic and almost always show bridges and the quay or the bank of the river. In this view the Pavillon de Flore of the Louvre is depicted on the left with the as yet undeveloped bank in the foreground, with its boats, figures and horses with their striking red blinkers.

(fondationcustodia.fr)

‘Sortie du port Honfleur Sun’

Entrance to the Port of Honfleur Windmill

Windmill near the water

Images from artmight.com

Skaters at Dordrecht

View of Rouen

Images from irushonok.livejournal.com

Fecamp

On the Beach at Sainte-Adresse

Images from paintingdb.com

Jongkind never found true success during his lifetime. His situation became so dire in 1860 that a group of his friends joined forces for a benefit art sale to help the ailing Jongkind. Some believe that the near-starvation conditions of his life as well as his lack of success caused the artist to become mentally ill around this period. Fourcaud, who visited Jongkind frequently, said of the artist, when “he began to speak about his art his lucidity returned intact. His remarks on the state of the atmosphere and the luminous life of things often struck me by the inattendu, by their truth, and sometimes by the curious way they were expressed.” Fourcaud remembers the artist showing an immense portfolio of watercolors and how carelessly the artist handled his own work. When cautioned about ruining the pieces, Jongkind replied, “Bah! Nature gave me that, and if I want it she will give me ten times more.”

Jongkind continually studied the sun’s rays and the play of reflections as the light traveled across the landscape during the day. Though his works were not a commercial success during his lifetime, his study of the atmosphere and light influenced a number of more well-known impressionist artists of his time including, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Tryon, Diaz and Rousseau. Monet referred to him as a man of profound genius. He traveled frequently between Holland and France. He painted nature as he saw it in the form of watercolor sketches and paint his paintings from those sketches. His paintings, all signed and dated, provide a virtual itinerary of his travels. Based upon his paintings, it appears he was in Normandy in 1865 and in Holland in 1868.

(thefamousartists.com)

In 1878 with his companion Joséphine Fesser, Jongkind moved to live in the small town of La Côte-Saint-André near Grenoble in the Isère département in the southeast of France where he died in 1891. He is buried there in the local cemetery. A street is named after him in the neighborhood of streets named after 19th and 20th century Dutch painters in Overtoomse Veld-Noord, Amsterdam. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Johann Jongkind left behind a legacy of landscape and marine oil paintings, watercolors and etchings. Many believe the simple and clean lines of his etchings make his works in this medium among the foremost of Dutch artists. He is considered an early Impressionist painter with strong ties to classical works. Sadly, as shortly as 10 months after his death, his paintings became highly sought after with prices for his paintings and etchings ranging from 40 to 200 times more than prices the he could sell them for. He typically earned only 3,000 francs a year but just a year after his death his Maas at Rotterdam sold for 28,000 francs and Canal at Brussels for 17,000 francs.

(thefamousartists.com)