Previous:National Gallery of Ireland - 5: Famous Paintings of the Netherlands and France in the 17th Century
Through a passage that connects the various exhibition halls, we step from the 16th to the 17th century to the 18th and 19th centuries, and the center of gravity of European art also quietly shifts westward, from Italy and the Netherlands to countries such as Britain, France and Spain.
William Hogarth (1697–1764) was britain's first genre painter who painted many satirical paintings on the theme of modern morality, known as the "Hogarthian style". Created in 1729, this early work shows a pregnant woman suing the father of the child in her belly in court, with the man holding his hands high to make an innocent gesture in the middle as the defendant, and the angry woman next to her may be the defendant's wife. According to Hogarth's enclosure, this is not the case. In fact, the real father of the child in the belly is the man standing behind the pregnant woman, and he is whispering to her what to say. The fat judge sitting behind the desk had been bought off by them and had agreed to blackmail the man who raised his hand for a sum of money. Hogarth draws a little girl training puppies at the table, alluding to the fact that the real father teaches pregnant women to falsely accuse others like training puppies.
English painting in the 18th century was the era of Gainsborough and Reynolds, and there are many of their works here. First look at a small painting by Gainsborough in his early years, "Suffolk Scenery". Gainsborough was only 19 years old when he painted the painting, when he painted many landscapes from his hometown of Suffolk. From the paintings, it can be seen that he studied and imitated Dutch landscape painters.
Portrait of General James Johnston was written by Gainsborough when he was 36 years old, when he began to paint for a living, and his main job was to paint people. It is said that before drawing this portrait, Gainsborough had tried to persuade Johnston to abandon the majestic and exuberant posture that soldiers usually used, and to adopt the more handsome and fashionable posture we see now.
In This Portrait of Mrs. Christopher Horton, Gainsborough demonstrates his exquisite painting technique, especially in drawing transparent tulle.
In fact, I prefer his paintings of children, this painting "Country Girl" was painted in 1785, when Gainsborough was already very famous, no longer worried about his livelihood, he could paint his favorite people and landscapes at will. The girl in the painting is dressed in tatters and barefoot carrying a broken water jug, and the hardships and helplessness of life can be felt in her lonely and slightly desperate eyes, but a touch of warmth can be felt from her grip on the puppy. The whole picture is full of romantic colors, and it also shows a kind of humanistic care.
In contrast, the figures in Reynolds's paintings appear much more orthodox and wealthy, usually with a serious look, dressed in their favorite costumes and posing to their satisfaction. Completed in 1774, the figure is dressed in the knightly robes of the Knights of The Bass, wearing tall feathers, and the shoes on his feet are sewn with large pink flowers. He is said to have been a playboy who abandoned his wife and had six illegitimate children with several different women.
The painting "Healy Hutchinson" depicts the dean of Trinity College Dublin, who is said to have been highly criticized for his election and is not considered to be qualified accordingly. He sat at the table dressed in the dean's robe, his left fist on his leg, looking very majestic.
This painting of Robert Henry depicts the Governor-General of Ireland, who took up the position in 1783 and was awarded the Knights of St. Patrick, which had just been created the same year. In this painting Henry hangs a knighthood of St. Patrick around his neck. The man is said to have been a well-known hedonist (bon viveur), probably too hedonistic, to die before the age of 39.
Mr. Fu Lei once commented on these two British contemporaries in his "Twenty Lectures on Masterpieces of World Art": "Lei's is to exhaust artistic materials to express the maximum ability of art, and Geng's is the soul of expressing poetic dreams to express artistic materials." In terms of the Chinese method of painting, the former has a painting in his heart, so he does his best to paint; the latter has no painting in his heart, so he confesses his soul with an innocent attitude. "So, which one do you like?"
After looking at portraits of English painters, let's look at the works of the Spanish Romantic painter Goya. This painting of Antonia Zarate depicts a Spanish actress dressed in black, with a melancholy look on her face, fingerless gloves and a fan in her hand, all of which were popular attire at the time. This painting is listed on the official website of the museum as one of the 16 works that focus on it.
Finally, look at a French work, which is the famous French neoclassical painter Jacques-louis david (1748-1825) painted the Funeral of Patro crossroes in 1778, based on Homer's epic poem "The Iliad". During the Trojan War, Achilles refused to fight because he did not like the commander of the Greek coalition at the time, and his good brother Patroclus took the initiative to put on his armor and pretend to be Achilles to lead the troops, only to be killed by Troy's most courageous general, Hector. The painting depicts Achilles, dressed in a red robe, grieved by the corpse of Patroclus and decides to hold a grand funeral.
Although some of the famous paintings recommended by the official website have not been seen, I was surprised by the richness of the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. Especially Irish art, we used to know too little about it, this time it is a long insight. There is a sunshine atrium in the middle of the museum building, sit here and rest, every time you visit the museum and art museum, you feel that there is too much content and too short time, which may be a museum and art museum control eternal regret.
Past Highlights:
National Gallery London-3: Is it love or eroticism? High level or deliberate showmanship?
As soon as you enter the museum and art gallery, you are confused? Before going to the UK, I read these 5 books and 4 pieces easily
British masters in the Tate Gallery: Turner, William Hogas, Gainsborough and Reynolds