Part 7 (1/2)

RICHARD PARKES BONINGTON (1801--1828) passed most of his life abroad He studied in the Louvre when a child, and gained his knowledge of art exclusively in Paris and Italy His influence on the French school of _genre_ and drareat indeed, almost equal to that which Constable produced on the French artists in landscape He died, aged twenty-seven, fro in Paris Bonington excelled in landscape, ure subjects He exhibited in the British Institution, a other pictures, two _Views of the French Coast_, which attracted much notice, and _The Column of St Mark's_, _Venice_ (National Gallery) Sir Richard Wallace possesses several of his best works, notably _Henri IV and the Spanish Ambassador_

[Illustration: FRANCIS I AND HIS SISTER _By_ BONINGTON

_In the possession of Sir Richard Wallace, Bart_]

WILLIAM JOHN MuLLER (1812--1845) was another landscape painter whose career was brief, and who chiefly painted foreign scenery He travelled in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and for a tih with little success In 1838 Muller visited Greece and Egypt, and in 1841 he was in Lycia He had previously settled in London His pictures were chiefly of Oriental scenes, and his fah prices In the National Gallery we have a _Landscape, with two Lycian Peasants_, and a _River Scene_

JOHN MARTIN (1789--1854) held a distinguished place as a painter of poetic or iinative landscapes and architectural subjects He was born near Hexhaan the study of art in the hu to London, Martin worked at ena, and in 1812 exhibited his first picture at the Academy, _Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion_, which is one of his best works

This was followed by _Joshua co the Sun to stand still_ (1816), _The Death of Moses_ (1838), _The Last Man_ (froe_, _Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah_, &c Martin's _ _Belshazzar's Feast_, _The Fall of Babylon_, and _The Fall of Nineveh_

Many of his co for theree with Bulwer, that Martin was 'elo'” But if in his lifetime Martin was over-praised, he was unjustly depreciated afterwards Many of his brother artists and the public, when the first astonishment his pictures created had passed away, called his art a trick and an illusion, his execution ures vilely drawn, their actions and expressions bo this, wholly or partially, it inal; that it opened nehich yielded glimpses of the sublime, and dreams and visions that art had not hitherto displayed; and that others, better prepared by previous study, working after hi, the world with their works

[Illustration: BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST _By_ JOHN MARTIN _Exhibited at the British Institution in_ AD 1821]

THE NORWICH SCHOOL

We must now speak of a provincial school of landscape painters which was founded by JOHN CROME (1769--1821) The father of the Norwich Society of Artists is generally known as ”Old Crouish him from his son, as likewise a painter Crome, the son of a journey-man weaver, born in a small tavern at Norwich, was in due course apprenticed to a house and sign-painter The young house-painter spent his spare ti more attractive than the walls of houses, and chose the scenery round Norwich for his subjects The flat, sunny landscapes, dotted with farlided slowly, and the Norfolk broads, with their flocks of wild fowl, remained to the last the frequent subjects of Croood earnest, Crome, when his apprenticeshi+p was over, eked out his scanty resources by giving lessons in drawing and painting At the Royal Academy he exhibited only fourteen pictures, but in his native town one hundred and ninety-six With the exception of _The Blacksmith's Shop_, all the works shown at the Acadeed oak, a pollardby the side of the slow Norfolk strearound, in his hands beca us by their sweet colour and rustic nature” ”Crome seems to have founded his art on Hobbema, Ruysdael, and the Dutch school, rather than on the French and Italian painters; except so far as these were represented by our countryman, Wilson, whose works he copied, and whose influence is seen led with the more realistic treatrave_) In the National Gallery are his _Mousehold Heath_, _View of Chapel Field_, and _Windmill on a Heath_: all views near Norwich _A Clue), is another favourable specimen of his art

JAMES STARK (1794--1859) was a pupil of Crome, and takes rank next to him in the Norwich school In 1812, he was elected a member of the Norwich Society of Artists In 1817, he came to London, and became a student in the Royal Acade_, _Flounder Fishi+ng_, and _Laed Stark to return to Norwich, where he produced his ”Scenery of the Rivers Yare and Waveney, Norfolk;” a series of illustrations engraved by Goodall and others Stark lacked the vigour of Cro

GEORGE VINCENT (1796--about 1831) is best known for his _View of Greenwich Hospital_, shown from the river It was painted for Mr

Carpenter, of the British Museum, and was in the International Exhibition of 1862 Vincent was specially fond of sunlight effects or clouds in his pictures

JOHN SELL COTMAN (1782--1842) having escaped the life of a linen-draper's shop to London found a friend and patron in Dr Monro From 1800 to 1806 Cot to Norwich, was made a member and secretary of the Society of Artists there In the year 1808 he contributed to the Norwich exhibition sixty-seven works Cotman paid many visits to Nor's College School, London He was more successful as a water-colour artist than a painter in oils He painted chiefly landscapes, s of architecture

The Norwich school no longer exists as a distinct body

FRANCIS DANBY (1793--1861) excelled Martin in the poetry of landscape art He was born near Wexford, and gained his first knowledge of art in Dublin, where, in 1812, he exhibited his first picture, _Evening_ In 1813, he was established at Bristol as a teacher of drawing in water colour He became known to the artistic world of London by his _Upas Tree of Java_, which was at the British Institution of 1820, an intensely poetic work, now in the National Gallery His _Sunset at Sea after a Storm_, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1824, was purchased by Sir Thomas Lawrence A year later Danby exhibited _The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt_, for which he was elected an ARA He is s at sea, sunset effects, coreat brilliancy of colour, a Gun_ In the National Gallery is _The Fisherman's Home, Sunrise_ He never became a RA

WILLIAM CLARKSON STANFIELD (1793--1867) holds one of the highest places a life as a sailor in the Royal Navy, he sketched vessels as they passed his own A severe fall coan his art career as a scene-painter in the Old Royalty Theatre, Wellclose Square, and later became scene-painter to Drury Lane Theatre His first exhibited picture was _A River Scene_ in the Academy, 1820 In the same year _A Study from Nature_ was at the British Institution He exhibited _Ben Venu_, and _A Coast Scene_, at the Institution in 1822 In 1824, he was a foundation-member of the Society of British Artists, and sent five pictures to their first exhibition in that year Stanfield's large _Wreckers off Fort Rouge_, was exhibited at the British Institution in 1828 In 1827 appeared _A Calm_, in the Royal Academy From that time Stanfield's success was assured His truthfulness in reading nature, whether in naval battle scenes, views of foreign sea-ports, or mountain and river scenery, has seldom if ever been surpassed He became a full member of the Academy in 1835 An unwearied worker, he exhibited one hundred and thirty-two pictures at the Royal Acadear_; _The Victory, with Nelson's Body on board, towed into Gibraltar_; _Entrance to the Zuyder Zee_; _Lake of Como_, and _The Canal of the Giudecca, Venice_ (all in the National Gallery) A his earlier works are _Mount St Michael, Cornwall_; _A Stor of New London Bridge_

[Illustration: TERMINATI MARINA _By_ STANFIELD AD 1840 _In the possession of the Marquis of Lansdowne_]

JAMES BAKER PYNE (1800--1870), born in Bristol, began life in a solicitor's office, which he quitted to , or restoring pictures He went to London in 1835, where a picture exhibited a year after at the Academy attracted notice, and opened the way of success He became famous as a delineator of lake scenery, and for _pseudo_-Turner-like treatht effects

THOMAS CRESWICK (1811--1869), one of the lish landscape painters, was born at Sheffield He came to London when only seventeen, and his pictures were exhibited by the British Institution and the Royal Acadehted lovers of landscape with views in Ireland and Wales, and, later, turned his attention to the North of England, the rocky dales and rivers of which furnished subjects for his finest works In 1842, he was elected an associate of the Acadeuineas froeneral excellence of his productions In 1851, Creswick became a full member of the Academy, and somewhat later executed pictures into which Frith and Ansdell introduced figures and cattle There is a charathered from _The Old Foot Road_, _The Hall Garden_, _The Pleasant Way Home_, _The Valley Mill_, _The Blithe Brook_, _Across the Beck_ In the National Gallery is _The Pathway to the Village Church_

”He painted the homely scenery of his country, especially its streams, in all its native beauty and freshness; natural, pure, and simple in his treatood taste prevailing in all his works, and conspicuously so in his char Club, of which he was a valued rave_)

[Illustration: THE PLEASANT WAY HOME _By_ CRESWICK _Exhibited in 1846_]

JOHN LINNELL (1792--1882) the son of a carver and gilder in Blooht up to his father's trade, and had e he copied Morland so well that his versions were often taken for originals Soon afterwards he became a pupil of John Varley, and in his studio met Mulready and W H Hunt, ho tours In 1807, when only fifteen years of age, Linnell sent his first pictures, _A Study fro_, to the Royal Academy Exhibition, to which for ular contributor He frequently painted portraits, and was particularly successful in landscapes with many trees Mr Ruskin says, ”The forest studies of John Linnell are particularly elaborate, and in many points most skilful” For many years towards the close of his life he lived at Redhill, with his two sons and his son-in-law, Sa his long life he painted many hundred pictures, which are now for the land Two of his works are in the National Gallery, _Wood Cutters_, and _The Windton, _Wild Flower Gatherers_, _Milking Ti Cattle_

EDWARD WILLIAM COOKE (1811--1880), the son of an engraver, was intended for his father's profession; but he preferred the brush to the graver

In 1851 he was made an associate and in 1864 a full member of the Royal Academy, to whose exhibitions he was a most constant contributor: he also exhibited at the British Institution His works are, for the land, and frequently on the Thas by hiton Museum

[Illustration]