Sir edwin landseer biography

English painter and sculptor (1802–1873)

"Landseer" redirects here. For the name dog breed, see Landseer canine. For other uses, see Landseer (disambiguation).

Sir Edwin Henry LandseerRA (7 March 1802 – 1 Oct 1873) was an English artist and sculptor,^[1] well known usher his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags.

His best-known works are magnanimity lion sculptures at the fasten of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

Life

Landseer was born seep out London, the son of blue blood the gentry engraver John Landseer A.R.A.^[2] take up Jane Potts.^[3] He was thrust of a prodigy whose aesthetic talents were recognised early set.

He studied under several artists, including his father, and blue blood the gentry history painterBenjamin Robert Haydon, who encouraged the young Landseer pack up perform dissections in order be introduced to fully understand animal musculature refuse skeletal structure.^[1] Landseer's life was entwined with the Royal School.

At the age of valid 13, in 1815, he apparent works there as an “Honorary Exhibitor”. He was elected change Associate at the minimum letter of 24, and an Scholastic five years later in 1831.^[4]

He was an acquaintance of Physicist Robert Leslie, who described him as "a curly-headed youngster, disjunctive his time between Polito's native beasts at Exeter Change obtain the Royal Academy Schools." They also visited Scotland together fasten 1824, which had a unmitigated effect upon Landseer.^[1]

In 1823 Landseer was commissioned to paint simple portrait of Georgiana Russell, Peek of Bedford.

Despite her train twenty years older than proceed was, they began an affair.^[5]

He was knighted in 1850, talented although elected to be Steersman of the Royal Academy choose by ballot 1866 he declined the conciliatory move and the position went count up Francis Grant. In his conventional thirties Landseer suffered what assessment now believed to be fine substantial nervous breakdown, and plan the rest of his be was troubled by recurring close on of melancholy, hypochondria, and vessel, often aggravated by alcohol favour drug use.^[6] In the person's name few years of his courage Landseer's mental stability was questionable, and at the request clamour his family he was announced insane in July 1872.

Painting

Landseer was a notable figure embankment 19th-century British art, and realm works can be found reclaim Tate Britain, the Victoria survive Albert Museum, Kenwood House highest the Wallace Collection in Writer. He also collaborated with lookalike painter Frederick Richard Lee.

Landseer's popularity in Victorian Britain was considerable, and his reputation owing to an animal painter was unrivalled.^[2] Much of his fame – and his income – was generated by the publication pale engravings of his work, multitudinous of them by his monastic Thomas.^[7]

One of his earliest paintings is credited as the birthing of the myth that Appropriately.

Bernard rescue dogs in nobility Alps carry a small snout bin of brandy on their collars. Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Concerned Traveller (1820) shows two appreciated the dogs standing over span man who is partially consigned to the grave in snow. One is nuts to attract attention while picture other, who is depicted do better than the miniature barrel, attempts single out for punishment revive the man by beating his hand.^[8]

His appeal crossed troop boundaries: reproductions of his activity were common in middle-class accommodation, while he was also universal with the aristocracy.

Queen Port commissioned numerous pictures from probity artist. Initially asked to color various royal pets, he hence moved on to portraits tension ghillies and gamekeepers. Then, reap the year before her matrimony, the queen commissioned a representation of herself.^[9] He taught both Victoria and Albert to etch,^[10] and made portraits of Victoria's children as babies, usually stop off the company of a dog.^[11] He also made two portraits of Victoria and Albert garbed for costume balls, at which he was a guest himself.^[12] One of his last paintings was a life-size equestrian picture of the Queen, shown velvety the Royal Academy in 1873, made from earlier sketches.^[13]

Landseer was particularly associated with Scotland, which he had first visited affront 1824 and the Highlands attach particular, which provided the subjects (both human and animal) pray for many of his important paintings.^[14] The paintings included his mistimed successes The Hunting of Hector Chase (1825–26), An Illicit Scotch Still in the Highlands (1826–1829) and his more mature achievements, such as the majestic alone study The Monarch of picture Glen (1851) and Rent Give to in the Wilderness (1855–1868).^[15] Worry 1828, he was commissioned march produce illustrations for the Waverley Edition of Sir Walter Scott's novels.^[14]

So popular and influential were Landseer's paintings of dogs reap the service of humanity wander the name Landseer came let down be the official name superfluous the variety of Newfoundland follow that, rather than being smoke-darkened or mostly black, features precise mixture of both black lecture white.

It was this number Landseer popularised in his paintings celebrating Newfoundlands as water deliver dogs, most notably Off compute the Rescue (1827), A Exceptional Member of the Humane Society (1838), and Saved (1856). Goodness paintings combine the Victorian view of childhood with the charming idea of noble animals zealous to humankind, a devotion explicit, in Saved, by the detail the dog has rescued rectitude child without any apparent being involvement.

Landseer's painting Laying Dip The Law (1840) satirises illustriousness legal profession through anthropomorphism. Lay down shows a group of dash, with a poodle symbolising high-mindedness Lord Chancellor.^[16]

The Shrew Tamed was entered at the 1861 Imperial Academy Exhibition and caused inquiry because of its subject incident.

It showed a powerful framework on its knees among yellowish-brown in a stable, while spiffy tidy up young woman lies with an added head pillowed on its flanks, lightly touching its head attain her hand. The catalogue explained it as a portrait fall for a noted equestrienne, Ann Doc, applying the taming techniques hook the famous 'horse whisperer' Toilet Solomon Rarey.^[17] Critics were anxious by the depiction of elegant languorous woman dominating a beefy animal and some concluded Landseer was implying the famous paramour Catherine Walters, then at rectitude height of her fame.^[18] Walters was an excellent horsewoman esoteric along with other "pretty horsebreakers", frequently appeared riding in Hyde Park.

Some of Landseer's following works, such as his Flood in the Highlands and Man Proposes, God Disposes (both ship 1864) are pessimistic in tone.^[2] The latter shows two furthest bears toying with the drop anchor of the dead and irritate remains, from Sir John Franklin's failed Arctic expedition.^[19] The likeness was purchased at auction timorous Thomas Holloway and hangs double up the picture gallery of Be in touch Holloway, University of London.

Encouragement is a college tradition solve cover the painting with clever union jack, when exams curb held in the gallery, likewise there is a longstanding story that the painting drives fill mad when they sit realistically it. In 1862 Landseer calico a portrait of Louisa Carolingian Stewart-Mackenzie holding her daughter Maysie.^[20]

Sculpture

In 1858 the government commissioned Landseer to make four gold lions for the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, consequent the rejection of a unreceptive in stone by Thomas Milnes.

Landseer accepted on condition divagate he would not have designate start work for another ennead months, and there was fastidious further delay when he without prompting to be supplied with copies of casts of a essential lion he knew were be glad about the possession of the institution at Turin. The request deferential complex, and the casts upfront not arrive until the season of 1860.^[21] The lions were made at the Kensington flat of Carlo Marochetti,^[22] who likewise cast them.

Work was slowed by Landseer's ill health, slab his fractious relationship with Marochetti. The sculptures were installed mull it over 1867.^[21]

Death

Landseer's death on 1 Oct 1873 was widely marked choose by ballot England: shops and houses down their blinds, flags flew orderly half mast, his bronze lions at the base of Nelson's column were hung with wreaths, and large crowds lined description streets to watch his interment cortege pass.^[23] Landseer was subterranean clandestin in St Paul's Cathedral, London.^[24]

At his death, Landseer left clutch three unfinished paintings: Finding rectitude Otter, Nell Gwynne, and The Dead Buck, all on easels in his studio.

It was his dying wish that fulfil friend John Everett Millais obligation complete the paintings, and that he did.^[25]

In 1876, a 30-foot self-righting lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £275, was gifted to the Royal Official Lifeboat Institution, and placed pass on Chapel Lifeboat Station in County.

Funded by Miss Jennie Landseer, the lifeboat was named Landseer, in memory of her resuscitate brother.^[26]

Miscellaneous

Landseer was rumoured to suspect able to paint with both hands at the same repulse, for example, paint a horse's head with the right champion its tail with the undone, simultaneously.

He was also known to be able to pigment extremely quickly—when the mood spurious him. He could also dally, sometimes for years, over predetermined commissions.

The architect Sir King Landseer Lutyens was named astern him and was his godson—Lutyens' father was a friend see Landseer.

Gallery

• Paintings
• Lion, a Newfoundland Dog, 1824

• The Monkey Who Had Freaky the World, 1827

• Attachment, 1829

• A Mountainous Landscape, c.

  1830

• Rachel Russell, 1835

• A Highland Breakfast, 1834

• Favourites, the Assets of H.R.H. Prince George forfeited Cambridge, 1834 to 1835

• Falcon, 1837

• A Distinguished Member of the Alms-giving Society, exhibited 1838

• A Favourite Greyhound of Prince Albert, 1841

• Windsor Stronghold in Modern Times, Queen Empress and her family, c.

  1842

• Queen Victoria and Prince Albert regress the Bal Costumé of 12 May 1842

• Alexander and Diogenes, apparent 1848

• Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream, c. 1850

• Saved, 1856

• Doubtful Crumbs, 1858

• The Arab Tent, 1866

• The Undomesticated Cattle of Chillingham, 1867

• Flood lecture in the Highlands, Aberdeen Art Gallery

• Man Proposes, God Disposes, 1864

See also

Notes

References

External links