UK artists. British artists – British Painters

Artists from which country made a special contribution to the development of world painting?

When asked this question, French artists are often remembered. More . And no one doubts the influence at all.

But if we take the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, then it is important to note the merits English artists.

During this period, several bright masters worked in the country of Foggy Albion, who radically changed world art.

1. William Hogarth (1697-1764)

Hogarth lived in difficult times. At the beginning of the 18th century, bourgeois society was just emerging in England, which replaced the feudal one.

Moral values ​​were still shaky. In all seriousness, self-interest and enrichment by any means were considered virtues. Just like in the 90s of the 20th century in Russia.

Hogarth decided not to remain silent. And he tried to open the eyes of his compatriots to the decline of moral values. With the help of paintings and engravings.

He began with a series of paintings called “Prostitute Career.” Unfortunately, the paintings have not survived. Only the engravings remain.

This is a true story about a village girl, Mary, who came to the city to seek her fortune. But she fell into the clutches of an old pimp. We see this scene in the first engraving. Having become a kept woman, she spent her short life among social outcasts.

Hogarth deliberately translated his paintings into engravings in order to distribute them widely. So he tried to reach as many people as possible.

Moreover, he wanted to warn not only poor girls like Mary. But also aristocrats. Judging by his series of works “Fashionable Marriage”.

The story described in it was very typical for that time. An impoverished aristocrat marries the daughter of a wealthy merchant. But this is just a deal that does not imply a union of hearts.

The most famous painting from this series, “Tete-a-Tete,” demonstrates the emptiness of their relationship.

The wife had fun with the guests all night. And the husband only stumbled home in the morning, devastated from revelry (judging by the spot on his neck, he was already sick with syphilis). The Countess casually pulls herself up and is about to yawn. Her face shows complete indifference to her husband.

And no wonder. She started an affair on the side. The story will end sadly. The husband will find his wife in bed with her lover. And he will be stabbed with a sword in a duel. The lover will be sent to the gallows. And the Countess will commit suicide.

Hogarth was not just a cartoonist. His skill is too high. Complex and harmonious color combinations. And also incredible expressiveness. You can easily “read” his paintings, understanding what the relationships between people are.

Hogarth's merits are difficult to overestimate. After all, he invented critical realism. No one before him had ever depicted so many conflicts and social dramas in painting.

Reynolds didn't reinvent the wheel. But he set very high standards for all European artists.

3. Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

Gainsborough can rightfully be called the most famous English artist of the 18th century. He lived at the same time as Reynolds. They were rivals.

The difference between Reynolds and Gainsborough is visible to the naked eye. The first has red and gold shades; majestic, solemn images.

Gainsborough has silvery blue and olive green tones. As well as airy and intimate portraits.

We see all this in the portrait “Lady in Blue”. No intensity of emotions. Just a beautiful, gentle image. To achieve this effect, Gainsborough worked with a thin brush almost 2 meters long!

Gainsborough always considered himself primarily a landscape painter. But the need to earn money forced him to paint portraits to order. Ironically, he became famous and remained in history precisely as a portrait painter.

But the artist compromised with himself. Often depicting subjects in the lap of nature. Combining a hated portrait and a beloved landscape.

The clients could not decide which of the two portrait painters they liked more. And aristocrats ordered portraits from both Reynolds and Gainsborough. They were too different. But in terms of the strength of the works they were not inferior to each other.

But unlike Reynolds, his opponent was also attracted to ordinary people. With equal passion he painted both the duchess and the commoner.

Reynolds exchanged his painting “Girls with Pigs” with a collector for a painting he had. Considering it to be his opponent's best work.

Gainsborough's works are unique in their quality. There are also unhidden brushstrokes that, from a distance, make what is happening alive and breathing.

These are smooth, shaded lines. It's as if everything happens in humid air, which is what it is in England.

And, of course, an unusual combination of portrait and landscape. All this sets Gainsborough apart from many other portrait painters of his time.

4. William Blake (1757-1827)

William Blake was an extraordinary person. Since childhood, he was visited by mystical visions. And when he grew up, he became an anarchist. He did not recognize laws and morality. Believing that this is how human freedom is oppressed.

He did not recognize religion either. Considering it the main restrictor of freedoms. Of course, such views were reflected in his works. “The Architect of the World” is his sharp attack on Christianity.

The Creator holds a compass, drawing boundaries for man. Boundaries that must not be crossed. Making our thinking limited, living within narrow boundaries.

For his contemporaries, his work was too extraordinary, so he never received recognition during his lifetime.

Some saw in his works prophecies and future upheavals. Perceiving Blake as blissful, the man is not himself.

But Blake was never officially declared crazy. He worked fruitfully all his life. And he was a jack of all trades. He was also an excellent engraver. And a brilliant illustrator. Having created incredible watercolors for Dante's Divine Comedy.

The only thing that Blake had in common with his era was the fashion for everything terrible and fabulous. After all, in England in the 19th century, romanticism and fairy-tale motifs were celebrated.

Therefore, his painting “The Spirit of the Flea” fit well into the general range of works of those years.

Blake claimed that he saw the soul of the bloodsucker. But it was placed in a tiny flea. If this soul were to inhabit a person, a lot of blood would be shed.

Blake was clearly born before his time. His work is eerily similar to the work of the Symbolists and Surrealists of the 20th century. They remembered this master 100 years after his death. He became their idol and inspirer.

5. John Constable (1776-1837)

Despite his aristocratic appearance, Constable was the son of a miller. And he loved to work with his hands. He knew how to plow, build fences and fish. Maybe that's why his landscapes are devoid of pathos. They are natural and realistic.

Before him, artists painted abstract landscapes, often Italian. But Constable was writing about a specific area. A real river, a cottage and trees.

His “Hay Wagon” is the most famous English landscape. It was this work that was once seen by the French public at the Paris Exhibition of 1824.

The young people were especially impressed. Who saw in this picture what they themselves were striving for. No academic pomposity. No ancient ruins or spectacular sunsets. But only everyday life in the countryside. Beautiful in its naturalness.

After this exhibition, Constable sold as many as 20 of his paintings in Paris. In his native England, his landscapes were almost never bought.

But unlike Gainsborough, he rarely switched to portraits to earn money. Continuing to improve specifically in landscape painting.

To do this, he studied natural phenomena from a scientific point of view. And he knew how to select shades very close to those found in nature. He was especially good at the sky, the contrasts of light and dark clouds.

But Constable is famous not only for his amazingly realistic paintings. But also with my sketches.

The artist created a sketch of the same size as the future painting. Working right out in the open air. It was know-how. And it is precisely this method of work that the Impressionists will later pick up.

But Constable often wrote completed works in the studio from these sketches. Although they were more popular with the public of that time, they were not as lively and full of movement as the sketches.

At home, the greatness of the Constable was realized only in the 20th century. To this day he is one of the most beloved artists in England. We can say that Russians treat with the same trepidation.

6. William Turner (1775-1851)

The English artist William Turner managed to become famous in his youth and become an academician of arts. Almost immediately he began to be called the “artist of light.” Because the sun was often present in his canvases.

If you look at the landscapes of other artists, you will rarely see the sun. It's too bright.

This brightness is difficult to portray. It hits your eyes. Distorts everything around. But Turner was not afraid of this. Drawing the sun both at its zenith and at sunset. Boldly enveloping everything around it with light.

But Turner, although he was an academician and valued his title, could not help but experiment. He had an extraordinary and agile mind.

Therefore, after a couple of decades, his work evolved greatly. There are fewer and fewer details in them. More and more light. More and more sensations.

One of the most famous paintings of that time is “The Last Voyage of the Brave Ship.”

Here we see a bit of allegory. Sailing ships are being replaced by steam ones. One era replaces another. The sun sets, and the month comes out to replace it (above left).

Here the sun still dominates. The sunset takes up a good half of the picture. And in subsequent works the artist reaches almost abstractionism. Exaggerating all your previous aspirations. Removing details, leaving only sensations and light.

As you understand, the public could not appreciate such works. Queen Victoria refused to knight Turner. The reputation has been shaken. Hints of madness were increasingly heard in society.

This is the lot of all true artists. He takes too big a step forward. And the public “catch up” with him only decades, or even centuries later. This is what happened to the great Turner.

7. Pre-Raphaelites

When talking about English artists, it is difficult to ignore the Pre-Raphaelites. Moreover, in the 21st century they have become very popular.

Where did such love for these artists come from?

The Pre-Raphaelites started with lofty goals. They wanted to find a way out of the dead end of academic, too rigid painting. They are tired of writing myths and historical stories little known to the general public. We wanted to show a real, living beauty.

And the Pre-Raphaelites began to paint female images. They turned out to be very beautiful and attractive.

Just look at their red-haired beauties. As a rule, they were their lovers in real life.

The Pre-Raphaelites began to actively glorify female beauty. As a result, apart from this, there was nothing else left in them.

It became like staged, luxurious photographs for glossy magazines. It is precisely such images that are easy to imagine for advertising women's perfumes.

That is why the Pre-Raphaelites were so popular with people of the 21st century. In the age of glamorous, very bright advertising.

Despite the obvious emptiness of many works, it was these artists who stood at the origins of the development of design, which broke away from art. After all, the Pre-Raphaelites (for example, William Morris) actively worked on sketches of fabrics, wallpaper and other interior decorations.

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I hope that after this article, English artists have opened up a new side for you. It was not always only the Italians and the Dutch who influenced world art. The British also made a significant contribution.

In this article you will find useful and interesting information about English artists.

Famous English artists

Richard Parkes Bonington(1802-1828) - English painter and graphic artist. The son received his first artistic skills from his father. I started painting with watercolors myself. He unveiled his first works at an exhibition at the Liverpool Art School at the age of 11. Despite his premature death (he died of tuberculosis), Richard Bonington left more than four hundred (400) paintings, watercolors and drawings.
Famous paintings: “The Coast of Picardy” (1826), “Entrance to the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro” (1827).

Harold Greasley(1892-1967) - British artist, landscape and portrait painter, follower of his father and grandfather. Greasley was born in Derbyshire and studied at Derby Art School. He was the son of Frank Greasley and grandson of James Stephan Greasley, both of whom were noted artists. He interrupted his studies with the outbreak of the First World War. After the war he continued his studies in Nottingham under Arthur Spooner and became a teacher at Repton School.
Some of his work is exhibited at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery; Alfred Goody donated 77 of his paintings to the museum.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti(1928-1882) - English poet, artist, translator of Italian origin, one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848-1853).
The early period of creativity is characterized by precision and definiteness of manner; His first paintings, more than other works of the Pre-Raphaelites, resemble the painting of the Italian Quattrocento. In the painting “The Virginity of Mary Immaculate,” the Virgin Mary is depicted as an emaciated, depressed teenage girl
In the late period, the artist turned to mythological themes and stylization.

James Northcote(1746 - 1831) - English artist, member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
He was his father's apprentice and painted in his free time. In 1769 he left his father and became a portrait painter. Was accepted as a student in the studio and home of Sir Joshua Reynolds. During this time he also attended classes at the Royal Academy of Arts.
The Young Princess Murdered in the Tower (1786) was his first important work on a historical theme, followed by The Burial of the Princess in the Tower. Both paintings, along with seven others, were destined for John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. The Death of Wet Tyler, now in Guildgowley, London, was unveiled to the public in 1787. Northcote created approximately two thousand works and earned a fortune of £40,000.

Modern English artists little known to Russian art fans. Let me introduce the paintings of the amazing artist Russ Mills ( Russ Mills) from Kingsbridge, UK. His work falls between urban fine art, street art, and contemporary graphics.

Despite his rather progressive painting technique, Russ Mills is by no means young. He was born in 1952, in Yorkshire. This is a fairly versatile and creative personality. Ras, in addition to painting, plays in the musical project “Undark” and creates multimedia installations, and also teaches at the Royal College of Art, Glasgow School of Art. By invitation he lectures at other universities in the UK and abroad.
This modern English focuses primarily on the human form, particularly faces, intertwined with elements from the animal kingdom, often reflecting the absurdity of human nature. During his long creative life, Russ Mills has worked on the graphic design of music albums of such celebrities as Nine Inch Nails, Roger Eno, Japan, Harold Budd and Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Michael Brook and The Overload. His graphic works can be used. as paintings for the interior of music clubs, bars and even offices. Their expressiveness and dynamics will perfectly highlight the interior of a room in which life is constantly in full swing.

Famous English Artists

The history of the development of the world art was greatly influenced by artists from Italy, by the German, the French and the Dutch. As usual, the merits of British artists, who for the most part belong to the 18th and 19th centuries, are ignored. However, during this period, several bright representatives of the foggy Albion have come forward, their works of art deserve a place of honor in the most valuable world collections.

The first artist of English origin, William Hogarth, opened the golden age of British painting. Hogarth created the paintings in the style of realism and was a master of engraving. The characters on his canvases were servants, beggars, sailors and marginals. The artist skillfully revealed the bright joyful and deep sad emotions captured in the pictures of people.

Joshua Reynolds left a bright trace in English painting. The first president of the Royal Academy of Arts created paintings of amazing beauty. Among the heroes of the portrait, you can find fashionable prudish representatives of the nobility and ancient goddesses. Joshua Reynolds was a great theoretician of painting, his scientific works on fine art were studied by more than one generation of artists.

Reynolds" rival, Thomas Gainsborough earned his life with magnificent portraits of the nobility, but his favorite genre of painting was the landscape. The artist masterfully reflected the individuality and caught deep character traits of his characters. Throughout his artistic career, Gainsborough has constantly evolved and this aspiration for excellence can be traced through his works. At the decline of his career, his paintings can be attributed to the late impressionism.

In addition to the famous portraitists, English painting has generated a huge number of amazing landscape painters, like Sikkert, Turner, Wilson, Moreland.

Translation

The history of the development of world art was greatly influenced by artists from Italy, Germans, French and Dutch. As usual, the merits of English artists, who mostly date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, are ignored. However, during this period, several prominent representatives of Foggy Albion made themselves known, whose artistic works deserve an honorable place in the world’s most valuable collections.

The first artist of English origin, William Hogarth, ushered in the golden age of painting in Great Britain. Hogarth painted in the style of realism and was a master of engraving. The characters in his canvases were servants, beggars, sailors and outcasts. The artist skillfully revealed the bright joyful and deep sad emotions of the people depicted in the paintings.

Joshua Reynolds left a bright mark on English painting. The first president of the Royal Academy of Arts created canvases of amazing beauty. Among the heroes of the portrait you can find fashionable, prim representatives of the nobility and ancient goddesses. Joshua Reynolds was a great theorist of painting; more than one generation of artists studied from his scientific works on fine art.

Reynolds' rival, Thomas Gainsborough, made a living by painting magnificent portraits of the nobility, but his favorite genre of painting was landscape. The artist masterfully reflected individuality and captured the deep character traits of his characters. Throughout his artistic career, Gainsborough was constantly evolving and this desire for perfection can be seen in his work. At the end of his career, his paintings can be classified as late impressionism.