A History of Art for Beginners and Students: Painting, Sculpture, ArchitectureWaters, Clara Erskine Clement
History
A History of Art for Beginners and Students: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture
Waters, Clara Erskine Clement
Art -- History
Hogarth was a fine engraver, and left many plates after his own works,
which are far better and more spirited than another artist could have made
them. The pictures of Hogarth have good qualities aside from their
peculiar features. He made his interiors spacious, and the furniture and
all the details were well arranged; his costumes were exact, as was also
the expression of his faces; his painting was good, and his color
excellent. In 1753 he published a book called the "Analysis of Beauty."
Ever after his first success his career was a prosperous one. He rode in
his carriage, and was the associate and friend of men in good positions.
Hogarth was buried in Chiswick Churchyard, and on his tombstone are these
lines, written by David Garrick:
"Farewell, great painter of mankind!
Who reach'd the noblest point of Art,
Whose pictur'd morals charm the mind,
And through the eye, correct the heart.
If Genius fire thee, reader, stay;
If Nature touch thee, drop a tear;
If neither move thee, turn away,
For Hogarth's honour'd dust lies here."
The next important English painter was RICHARD WILSON (1713-1782), and he
was important not so much for what he painted as for the fact that he was
one of the earliest landscape-painters among English artists. He never
attained wealth or great reputation, although after his return from
studying in Italy he was made a member of the Royal Academy.
We come now to Sir JOSHUA REYNOLDS (1723-1792), born at Plympton, in
Devonshire. His father was a clergyman and the master of the grammar
school at Plympton. Joshua was destined for the medical profession by his
parents; but his love of drawing was so marked that, as the opportunity
offered for him to go to London and study under Hudson, his father allowed
him to do so. After various changes, in 1749 he was able to go to Rome,
and remained in Italy three years (Fig. 70).
When he returned to England he soon attracted attention to his pictures,
and it was not long before both fame and fortune were secured to him. His
life was a very quiet one, with little of incident that can be related
here. His sister kept his house for him, and he lived generously, having
company to dinner almost daily. His friends were among the best people of
the time, including such persons as Dr. Johnson, Percy, Goldsmith,
Garrick, the Burkes, and many others. The day before Johnson died he told
Reynolds that he had three requests to make of him: that he would forgive
him thirty pounds which he had lent him, would read the Scriptures daily,
and would not paint on Sunday. Sir Joshua promised to do these things, and
remembered his promise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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