Selective Roman virtues
Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1783. A Welsh former lady’s maid, Sarah Siddons went on to be recognized as the greatest tragedienne of her age. As an actress she was outside social mores. She was painted by both Gainsborough and Reynolds, whose portrait of her is more typical of a …
Enlightenment family values
Sir Robert and Lady Buxton and Their Daughter Anne, 1786, by Henry Walton. Those of us who look with dismay on recent trends in family structure might be surprised to learn that we are not the only age that has redefined family relationships. Prior to the Enlightenment, very few children appeared in paintings. Unless you were …
Portrait of the artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds painted himself as a man of letters, in his robes as a Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford (1776). Note the absolute absence of any paint on that outfit. Prior to the middle of the 18th century, fine artists were considered craftsmen. While they may have been very successful and well-paid, they …
Monarchs and Militants
Portrait of King George III, 1779, by Sir Joshua Reynolds The Age of Revolution was a time of great change in the intellectual and political life of Europe and America. Portrait painting—previously considered an inferior art—rose in prominence. On the one hand, portraits reached a peak of representational virtuosity. At the same time, they became overwhelmingly …
More on that Christian art thing
Knight, Death and the Devil, woodcut, by Albrecht Dürer, 1513 Part of the heated discussion that ensued after my post Friday about the so-called problem of Christian music expressed a general irritation with performers who identify themselves as Christian artists. We’re all aware of the capacity of modern artists to drape themselves over the cross …