Research, Project 1, Trees

Research about Paul Nash, with a focus on how he uses trees in his artwork.

I am glad to be focussing on trees as I have always felt that my attempts to draw trees in the past haven’t always been so successful. The painted one is a bit primitive and chunky, and not wholly convincing.

Following recommendations from my tutor I was encouraged to look at landscape work by artist Paul Nash.

Watching the video: ‘British Art At War – Paul Nash: The Ghosts of War’ narrated by Andrew Graham I was struck by the significance of trees in much of his work. As a young boy he lived in Oxfordshire and spent much of his childhood in the local forest with his siblings. His first ventures into art revolved around this world. He developed a somewhat stylized representation of the trees in his world.

He captures the essence of the different trees and their characteristics. He employs a muted watercolour palette and uses some interesting hatching and cross hatching marks.

He is not overwhelmed by trying to capture every detail.

This first picture feels quite flat, and is almost pattern-like, whereas he successfully employs tone in this second to create foreground and suggest the paler, more distant background.

These idyllic and calming scenes contrast with the images he created when he was a war artist in the trenches of WW1.

This is a particularly emotive scene. Almost all of his Battalion had been killed at the battle of Paschendale whilst he had been away getting treated for a fall he had whilst sketching. It affected him deeply. Andrew Graham suggests that these scarred and disfigured landscapes represented the fallen and because of that the artwork did not require further physical evidence of bodies or people.

The broken dead trees recede into the background. It feels that there are two army fronts of them, facing each other, with a black spectre hanging over them in the sky… might that represent death? It is a ghostly and disturbing painting capturing some of the horrors of that time.

In this painting from after the war, he returns to exploring countryside and scenes with trees in particular. Again we can see there are many different varieties of trees, but interestingly many of them seemed to have a curved top to them and many seem to have branches which reinforce the curves

. Works completed nearer his death emphasized this even more, and the details diminished further.

The negative spaces in the foreground allow the trees ‘space’ and create a stage for the one tree in particular. It could be a really ‘busy’ picture with all these trees and branches and yet he managed not to overwhelm the viewer with inordinate detail.

However, when I think of trees and artwork, the first artist that comes to my mind is Klimt. I love his Birch Wood, with almost photographic quality of these receding tree stumps set against the vibrating autumnal qualities of the leaf strewn floor of the forest. It invites you into the picture.

I particularly like that there are no outlines to the trees. The colour, texture and pattern are contrast enough against the background to create an accurate representation of these trees.

On a visit to ArtBasel this year, I saw an artist who had adopted Klimt’s idea of the Birch Wood and taken it in a very different direction. I wonder if there is a relationship to this message being written on trees and our dependency for life upon them.

It is by Sean Landers and is entitled ‘I was here’ (2018) The text engraved on the trunks, reading from left to right says:

‘I was here 1962 – 2050ish? I lived. I loved. I had kids.

I made art. Lots of art, most of it good, some of it very good, and I hope ever-lasting.

Being is so poignantly ephemeral. This is what makes the amplification of self so compelling.

It is an addictive magic to create a world that before you and without you would never exist. It’s aesthetic for mortality anxiety.

It’s a human dilemma. We need to feel that we matter. We’ve invented civilizations and religions to assuage us.

While the universe softly sings us to sleep.’

Using the basis of Klimt’s original concept and turning it black and white drives us to focus more on the words. It is an effective device.

In this second Klimt painting the intertwining and overlapping patterns created by the outlined tree branches are more of the focus. The effect of the dappled light makes it look and feel like the tree branches moving. The colours are much more subdued.

References:

KLIMT, Gustav, (1903),  ‘Birch Wood’, [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

KLIMT, Gustav, (1912), ‘Avenue in the Park of Schloss Kammer’ [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

LANDERS, Sean, (2018) ‘I Was Here’, ArtBasel Exhibition, Basel.

NASH, Paul, Bridgeman, (1914-15), ‘Edge of the Wood (pen & ink and wash on paper)’, [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

NASH, Paul, Bridgeman, (ND), ‘Iver Heath (Trees and Bird Garden)’, [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

NASH, Paul, Bridgeman, (1918), ‘Nightfall’ (Litho), Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

NASH, Paul, Bridgeman, (ND), ‘ Landscape at Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, 1919 (pencil, pen & ink & w/c on paper)’, [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://bridgemaneducation.com  [Accessed 16.9.19]

NASH, Paul, (2019) Paul Nash: The Ghosts of War (Ep1) – British Art at War’, [online] BBC Arts, You Tube . Available at: ‘  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo1iaSlBLmk&list=PLM4S2hGZDSE4sgRKeBWxu5i–KikdMGF-&index=4 [Accessed 16.9.19]

Research Task

Reasearch Artists from Different Eras who use Landscape as Their Main Subject

W R Sickert (1860-1942)

W R Sickert was a famous British painter  (1860-1942). He was initially an Apprentice to James Whistler, but in later years rebelled against the privileged social contexts of Whistler’s art (Kinchin, 2012).

In 1911 he was part of a group of British Painters known as the Camden Town Group. Many of their domestic interior scenes reflected lives of working class people and moved away from the finesse and glamour of the ‘Drawing Room’ scene in which it was deemed important that the often female sitter had to co-ordinate with the setting in which she was placed.

However, in contrast to these domestic interior and portrait paintings, he also made a very different style of Landscape paintings. On a visit to Venice around the turn of the twentieth century he painted the Basillica. It is bold, detailed and beautiful, but feels more like a setting or backdrop for a theatre scene. It fills the frame and is almost symmetrical. I wonder how much thought was given to the composition of this urban landscape? The composition feels very ‘obvious’ with little regard to ‘Classical Proportions’.  He uses tone to create an aerial perspective with the lighter rear domes appearing to recede into the composition. For a busy building at the heart of Venice it is also oddly devoid of any indication of people .

This second Venice painting is a luminous, vibrant and well observed painting of Santa Maria della Salute. It is subtle and delicate and captures all the nuances of the bright Italian sunshine. He shows masterly control of his choice of colours and application of paint as this looks like a watercolour, but it is an oil painting. He shows a good understanding of linear perspective, as there are many varying angles on the facades of this building. The church sits boldly directly in the middle of the painting. Once again it seems an obvious composition.

This 1939 painting, created towards the end of his life, shows both linear and aerial perspective and suggests that he has given more regard to composition. The figure is walking into the subject, and the car on the other side is also facing inwards. The buildings we can see at the end of the street are slightly above the middle of the picture although still relatively central on a vertical plane. However, I do find the big negative space created by the road is distracting. I would like to zoom into the picture and see more of the interesting tenements at the end of the street… a key aspect of Bath, and less of the road path and fence. The car and person devices could still be utilized.

Claude Lorraine (1600?-1682)

Claude Lorrain is admired for his landscape paintings. John Constable, the famous British Landscape artist described Claude as ‘The most perfect landscape painter the world ever saw’. (Wiki)

The sun radiates from the slightly off centred heart, and casts much of the distinctive foreground into shadow. Nonetheless, there are sufficient details in the foreground to spark interest and make you want to visually investigate further. On looking we see the cattleman and his charges. His scale creates a sense of perspective as the man and horse are so much smaller.

The bridge, at about a third of the way up the painting, delineates the foreground from the middle ground, in which the classical Roman style building sits ontop of the hill on the left. This building is about two thirds into the painting

In the background there is the lighter, glowing tones created by the setting sun over the distant textured plains, rolling away into the distance. The objects here are now virtually indistinct. Detail has disappeared. Aerial perspective, with diminishing tones, colours, scale and detail is well used to highlight the depth and scale of this scene.

The composition with the trees framing the foreground leads the viewer in. The people and animals animate the painting.

The diffused light in the sky, and the tranquil pastoral scene are calming.

Once again we can see a delineated foreground, middleground and background with diminishing tone, colour, scale and detail as the sense of distance increases. The foreground comprises the people and animals. This time the river and gorge separates the fore and mid grounds. The river meanders its way up to the castle on the left.

Compositionally there are many similar aspects to this painting. The high points on each side guide the viewer in.  The castle is represented in much softer, hazy tones. The cows and people in the foreground add life and give an era for the setting.

Again in this there are compositional elements that repeat, even though the context is very different.  Low horizons, tall ‘things’ left and right in the foreground of the paintings and negative space at the centre of each painting. The focus of attention is off to one side.

Light is significant in creating atmosphere, and there is a peacefulness about all the pictures, even although there are lots of ‘busy’ people on the harbour wall.

Classical architecture features in all three paintings. The buildings in this last painting show a good understanding of linear perspective, and there is a similar technique employed to represent aerial perspective in all these paintings.

L S Lowry (1887-1976)

Lowry was a British painter renowned for his industrial city landscapes of Salford and Manchester. They were peopled with simple figures known as ‘matchstick men’, and even today his work is instantly recognisable. It was a surprise to find this self-portrait of LS Lowry and to appreciate that he was a very talented painter in a more traditional sense beyond his landscapes. Although as he was referred to as a ‘naive Sunday Painter’ he did attend the Manchester School of Art to train as an artist.

His landscapes have a simple, almost child-like quality. He claimed he only used five paint colours: ivory black, vermillion, Prussian blue, yellow ochre and flake white.. These limited colours ensure a consistency of colours throughout all his paintings, and are effective at creating the sombre atmosphere of industrial landscapes

There does not appear to be much joy in his pictures. He is quoted as saying: ‘You don’t need brains to be a painter, just feelings’. (WikiArt) This implies that he invested a lot of emotional energy in his work.

His paintings are a real reflection of the era in which they were created. There are rarely so many people, children in particular, out on the streets at any one time nowadays. There is an absence of vehicles and very few cars.

Looking at all three pictures and their similarities Lowry employs aerial perspective, using tone, colour, scale and diminishing detail to create a sense of distance. These are all three gritty, urban, almost Dickensian-style landscapes with lots of working class people hurrying about their daily lives. You feel they are on their way somewhere and that the adults are focussed on tasks, often stooped in their effort to get there quicker. This is not a time for leisure and relaxation in general.  These people give his paintings a sense of community.

The paintings are busy and draw the viewer in. What are these people doing and who are they? The pictures want to tell a story. You feel there is more to be seen to the left and right of each of these pictures, but we are just being given a snapshot into their lives. Compositionally the first and third picture seem to be comprised of flattened horizontal strips separating fore, mid and background. Interestingly it seems that the people are also flattened as we see so many of them in profile. The middle one is less easier to separate in the same way, but linear perspective is used in the receding buildings and the size of the people. Sometimes the viewer might question the relative scale of people and buildings in all of these examples.

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Albrecht Durer  (1471-1528) was a German ‘printmaker, engraver, mathematician and theorist from Nuremburg’ (Wikipedia), and was regarded as one of the first

European Landscape artists. This Durer watercolour landscape,is called ‘Landscape with a Woodland Pool’ (1496). (British Museum)

Compositionally it appears niave. The horizon appears at the lower third of the picture, which is a classic compostion, but is it merely to ‘fit in’ the height of the trees?

It resembles a ‘jigsaw of a painting with distinctive incongruous parts fitted together. The stark, broken, needle-like dead trees on the left hand side create a sense of unease. They contrast markedly with the forest of pine trees on the right.

The left foreground has texture and colour variation, in contrast to the seemingly unfinished right hand side.

The dark blue colours of the clouds make a statement, an impending storm perhaps. They seem a little surreal. Perhaps it is dawn or dusk and they are silhouettes against the light on the horizon.

Perspective is suggested as the purple foreground tones of the water move into a bluer midground and a pale blue background. It draws us through the picture.

This early Durer painting shows an interesting composition, and scale created through size, colour, tone and diminishing detail. The draughtsman-like skill seen in the tree and buildings is remarkable. The rest of the foreground is noticeably devoid of detail. The tree has a towering, billowing effect, seeming to broaden out at the top like a cloud formation.

The colours of the dramatic sky are echoed in the buildings. I wonder if time has affected the green which appears garish by comparison. Is there another tree behind the front one that he has chosen not to fully render?

The bridge in the mid ground leads the viewer to the left of the picture and the somewhat spindly looking buildings perched on matchstick like legs at the edge of this tame river. On a stormy day with a wild river raging, would they still be standing I wonder?

In the background are a couple of hills. The furthest away one, unexpectedly appears to be the darker one.

He chooses to place the horizon level about a third of the way into the picture, as Lorrain did on many of his pictures.

This picture breaks the ‘rules’ of my understanding of creating and using aerial perspective and yet it works. We can clearly see the hill which is the prime focus of the painting is in the distance, far away, in the background. The foreground and middle ground are suggested with gently undulating tones. Is it unfinished or intentional? I like this idea of picking an area within a composition and focussing on it, whilst hinting at the surrounding area

Again a simplified foreground. The middleground is more complex. The nearer trees lack detail and more detail appears to be added as you enter the picture. There is some confusion about the size of the trees on the hill and the relative size of the town at the bottom left of the hill.

I wonder too have the colours changed with the passage of time.

He is a master at creating depth and the idea of undulating countryside. In this the background is paler with minimal details.

Cleverly the hill is slightly to the side of the centre. It is a really interesting picture to look at and even though it lacks any evidence of people it still feels lively and animated though the different textures and mark making.

This shape of this hill rising out of the landscape reminded me of the painting of the fictional ‘The Tower of Babel’ by Pieter Bruegal the Elder, which was painted just 68 years after this

George Shaw (1966- )

George Shaw paints the world he grew up in. He lived on an estate in Coventry and his family encouraged him in his artistic endeavours from a young age.

His realistic paintings comprise scenes of  the ‘decline and decay’ (Guardian) of Estate-life; unadulterated and raw. He sometimes makes allusions to his own thoughts and beliefs in subtle ways within his artwork.

The Guardian says of his work: ‘…he’s the artist of the left behind… left-behind pubs, lockups and care homes, for there are no people in most of Shaw’s scenes.’  It is all about the environment and the lack of people seems to add to the soul-less and unloved feel of many of his paintings. They could be photographs. They are certainly a reflection of this era, and contexts that no one of our generation should feel proud of.

He uses humbrol paints which gives the paintings a particular modern quality.

Compositionally this painting works along the midline of the canvas. The road pulls the viewer in. What is the focus of this painting… the two or three doorless garages and their reflections in the puddles, or the tree behind them perhaps? The name suggests the garages are. Our eye searches trying to find what it might be. It is a disconcerting and unsettling subject, not eased by the stark composition. There is evidence of perspective in the receding garages, and diminishing detail. This is supported by the gentle diagonal line of the receding trees, whose colour changes very subtly over the distance.

The foreground comprises the wasteland on the left, the garages are the mid and the trees are the background.

What did I learn?

• Techniques employed by artists to emphasize depth in pictures are:
  • Colour
  • Tone
  • Scale
  • Linear perspective, particularly in buildings
• Where you place the horizon line can impact the atmosphere of the painting
• Most of these pictures (exception Sickert) have a fore, mid and background in their composition
• Having the focus positioned off centre can create more visual interest
• Challenging some of these ‘observations’ can create challenging, or even unsettling artwork.

What might I take from this research

• I was intrigued by how Durer flaunted traditional landscape traditions of his time, leaving the foreground relatively unworked and focussing more on the mid or backgrounds.
• I liked how some area were left ‘undone’
• Experiment with some of these ideas in my own landscape work
• Give more consideration to using the rule of thirds when composing my own landscape views. To this end I have already set my ‘grid’ on my phone camera.
• Be more aware of tone and colour and diminishing detail to create a sense of distance.

References:

BRUEGEL, Pieter the Elder, (1563), ‘Tower of Babel’, [online] Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art Vol 6.2. Available at: https://jhna.org/articles/come-let-us-make-a-city-and-a-tower-pieter-bruegel-the-elder-tower-of-babel-creation-harmonious-community-antwerp/. [Accessed 17.9.19]

DURER, Albrecht, (1495), ‘Landscape near Segonzano in the Cembra Valley’  [online], , WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia,. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/albrecht-durer/landscape-near-segonzano-in-the-valley-cembra-1495

DURER, Albrecht, (1496-98), ‘The Willow Mill’ [online], The Athenaeum. Available at: https://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=23702. [Accessed 17.09.19]

DURER, Albrecht, (1495), View of Arco’ [online], Bridgeman Education. Available at: bridgemaneducation.com. [Accessed 17.9.19]

DURER, Albrecht, (1496), ‘Landscape with a woodland pool’  [online], British Museum. Available at: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pd/a/albrecht_d%C3%BCrer,_landscape-1.aspx

GRAHAM-DIXON, Andrew, (2014) ‘Walter Sickert and the Theatre of War (Ep 2 British Art at War)’, Narrated by Andrew Graham-Dixon [online] BBC Art, You Tube, ‘Art Documentaries. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SenNsT1K1Kc&list=PLM4S2hGZDSE4sgRKeBWxu5i–KikdMGF-&index=8 Accessed 17.9.19

KINCHIN, Juliet (May 2012), ‘From Drawing Room to Scullery: Reading the Domestic Interior in the Paintings of Walter Sickert and the Camden Town Group’, in Helena Bonett, Ysanne Holt, Jennifer Mundy (eds.), The Camden Town Group in Context’, [online] Tate Research Publication. Available at:  https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/camden-town-group/juliet-kinchin-from-drawing-room-to-scullery-reading-the-domestic-interior-in-the-r1104375 . [Accessed 16 September 2019].

LORRAIN , Claude, (1637), ‘Harbour with Villa Medici’, [online], Claude Lorraine, WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia,. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-lorrain/harbour-with-villa-medici-1637. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LORRAIN , Claude, (1637), ‘Imaginary view of Tivoli’, [online], Bridgeman Education. Available at: bridgemaneducation.com. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LORRAIN , Claude, (1645),  ‘Pastoral Landscape’,  [online], Bridgeman Education. Available at: bridgemaneducation.com. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LORRAIN , Claude, (2019)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Lorrain, accessed 17.9.19

LOWRY, L S, (1925), ‘Coming from the Mill’, [online], WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/l-s-lowry/self-portrait-1925. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LOWRY, L S, (1925), ‘Dwelling, Ordsall Lane, Salford’, [online], WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/l-s-lowry/self-portrait-1925. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LOWRY, L S, (1925), ‘Industrial Landscape. The Canal’, [online], WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/l-s-lowry/self-portrait-1925. [Accessed 17.9.19]

LOWRY, L S, (1925), ‘Self Portrait’, [online], WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/l-s-lowry/self-portrait-1925. [Accessed 17.9.19]

SHAW, George, (1999),  ‘Tatty Lockups… Scenes from the Passion: The Fall’,  [online], Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/07/george-shaw-a-corner-of-a-foreign-field-review-england-brexit-holburne-bath#img-3 [Accessed 17.9.19]

SICKERT, Walter, (1896), ‘Dancer in a Green Dress’  (oil on canvas), [online], Bridgeman Education. Available at: bridgemaneducation.com. [Accessed 17.9.19]

SICKERT, Walter, (1896), St Mark’s Basillica (oil on canvas), Bridgeman Education. Available at: bridgemaneducation.com. [Accessed 17.9.19]

Research, Project 2, Landscape

Vija Celims and her approaches to drawing Natural Elements

Vija (1938-)was born in Latvia, and due to the impact of the World War II she and her family emigrated to America.

Initially Vija’s created sculptures  and photorealistic paintings. In the late 1960’s she then moved on to creating ‘unusual view(s) of nature’ (MoMA) drawing with graphite pencil and charcoal. This Moon Surface (Fig.1) is an example of her work at this time, and was inspired by photos from the moon landing.

Her landscapes are not traditional. Critics have commented of her work that it often does not have : ‘a reference point: no horizon, depth of field, edge or landmarks to put them into context.’ (Wiki)

The artist lives near the sea in California and she says of it: ‘The ocean image is one that is part of me’. (Tate). This suggests her affinity and emotional attachment to the subject which is reflected in the quality of this artwork. This image (Fig.2, Ocean Surface, 1983) was based on photos she took of the Pacific Ocean in late 1960’s.

This is an etching incised onto a metal plate, which is then printed: a process called ‘drypoint’. This means that there are a set number of prints of this scene. It is black ink on white paper. This process creates soft grey tones with white un-inked highlights. On closer inspection of the actual artwork, apparently, the observer can see these tones comprise fine hatching and cross-hatching lines that the eye visually blends to create tones.

The foreground is darker and the tone lightens towards the top of the image. The direction of the image is diagonal with the gentle waves appearing to come towards us, and a sense of distance and perspective is created by the reducing size of waves towards the top left of the image. Detail also diminishes over distance and the tones get lighter. The Tate refers to the waves as ‘rhythmic undulation(s)’. The horizon is not shown, nor is there any sense of where this might be, or the time of day. It is timeless, calm and worldly. 

This is one of a series, the idea for which, according to Celims is: ‘spirals, concentric circles, the plane spiralling down, the rotary device spinning, the stars turning: a similarity of events. ‘ (Tate).

She works from dark to light when creating these images. (Fig.4, Sky, 1975)

 Her stunning sky-scapes are created with either graphite pencil or charcoal. They are certainly inspiration for the next exercise where we are asked to draw sky-scapes.

They are delicate and sensitive representations of scenes that are familiar to us all. Again, as in her other work, they are decontextualized in terms of location, setting, time of day. That makes them universally relatable to.

This one is very subtle. I think I might try to emulate this. I will experiment with laying down a charcoal powder for one and graphite powder for another, and try lifting out cloud shapes with a putty rubber, effectively drawing in negative. I will experiment with both graphite pencils and charcoal.  I anticipate this will be more challenging that I am suggesting in these course of actions.

The second image (Fig.5, Clouds, 1968) is so very much more complex and incredible. It has a much wider variety of tones, which contrast with the luminosity created by the light at the lower edge of the paper. There are no hard edges. Everything is subtlety blended and subtly highlighted. These effects will be much harder to emulate.

References

CELMINS, Vija, (1983), Fig.2, ‘Drypoint – Ocean Surface’, [online] Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/celmins-drypoint-ocean-surface-ar00467. [Accessed 19.9.19]

CELMINS, Vija, (1968), Fig. 5, ‘Clouds’, Graphite on paper, The Paris Review: ‘Nature Redescribed: The work of Vija Celmins’. Available at: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/01/23/nature-redescribed-the-work-of-vija-celmins/  [Accessed 20.9.19]

CELMINS, Vija, (1984), Fig.3, ‘Concentric Bearings C, , [online] Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/celmins-drypoint-ocean-surface-ar00467. [Accessed 19.9.19]

CELMINS, Vija, (1969), Fig.1, ’Moon Surface (Luna 9) 1969, Graphite on paper #1’, [online]. MoMA, Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/37426?artist_id=1048&locale=en&page=1&sov_referrer=artist. [Accessed 19.09.19]

CELMINS, Vija, (1975), Fig. 4, ‘Sky’, [online], Tate. Available at,  https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/celmins-sky-p78334 [Accessed 20.9.19]

CELMINS, Vija, (2019), ‘Vija Celmins’  Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vija_Celmins. [Accessed 19.9.19]

Part 3, project 2 Landscape Research

Historic and contemporary artists who work in series with the landscape

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Dutch master.

Rubens bought this property near Antwerp in 1635, five years before his death. Many of his landscapes were painted whilst he lived here.  

Strangely, the first picture is a lot more primitive compared to the other two; so much so that it is difficult to believe they were painted by the same person. However, the rendition of the tower in this is similar to the second painting. Most significantly perhaps, it lacks any people in the foreground, which is rare in his landscapes. It makes it a landscape for its own sake.

This first picture, although much simpler in style, does have a more peaceful atmosphere to it, with the gentle bridge and path leading the viewer through the picture. The immediate foreground is virtually devoid of interest, but as the bridge leads into the middle ground the content becomes more visually interesting. The distant river, culminating in a waterfall also links the foreground with the mid and backgrounds.

The second picture, set in the same location as the first, has a jousting game in the foreground which features animated people and horses. These characters compete with the viewers attention and distract from the beautiful and exquisite landscape beyond.

Rubens was really accomplished at creating vast panoramas of landscapes and employs a range of strategies to visually represent the large expanse of countryside: colour, tone, size, undulations, paths, rivers… The landscapes themselves are idealised, still and tranquil. The characters he chooses to paint in them reinforce that. Life feels good in them.

Claude Monet, (1840-1926)

Claude Monet, (1840-1926), was a French Impressionist painter who enjoyed painting nature ‘en plein air’. He painted several series of paintings, the first of which was the Haystack series. More than 25 different Haystack paintings comprise this series. He painted this same, relatively mundane, subject matter from slightly varying points of views, but in a full range of light conditions and seasons throughout the year. He thought of ‘colours and shapes rather than scenes and objects’ (Wiki), with a focus on developing atmosphere and ‘transience of light’ (Wiki). Initial paintings were often done on site, but apparently he did often adjust the colours to harmonise them, back in his studio.

Compositionally all three of these pictures are relatively the same, and perhaps they are even the same haystacks throughout the year. The varying time of day and season determines how ‘far back’ the background seems to be. The misty winter morning pushes the mid ground and the distant hills into mere suggestions whereas in the third of these, with the end of the summer light, the mid-ground is more distinct from the background. The gentle green of the distant grass on the background hill and the long shadows cast by the haystacks and trees, contrive to make the mid and backgrounds seem somewhat nearer.

 I had to include this different version of the haystacks as the light, shadows, colours and luminosity are particularly remarkable. Personally I think the composition is less interesting than the other pictures. The diagonal receding repetitive pattern of the haystacks, with the sunlight shining through on opposite diagonals almost ventures into abstraction. This painting, called ‘Haystacks’, (1890) sold for 110 million dollars in May 2019.

John Virtue, (1947-)

John Virtue specialises in monochrome landscapes using media such as: ‘black ink, shellac and acrylic’,  as he says colour ‘is an unnecessary distraction’ (Wiki).  

Latterly he has painted a series of sea based landscapes and before that, a series of London skylines. He claims to admire the work of many Artist Masters including Turner, Constable and Rubens.

Both these pieces of art are instantly recognisable as representing Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square, London, even if that detail is intentionally omitted from the name of the painting. The first includes evidence of close observational painting and detail, whilst the second seems to develop that view further, and obscure most of the detail. He leaves traces of light reflecting off the column. He leaves enough clues for those familiar with the famous landmark to still recognise it, but he virtually hides it amidst the black smoke, clouds or smog? It is an example of ‘less is more’. The tones are not overworked or over-sentimentalised. It feels atmospheric, earthy, gritty even. Simon Schema, writing in the Guardian, says it represents the: ‘rain-sodden, dirt-caked, foul-tempered, beery-eyed, jack-hammered, traffic-jammed, nervy exhilaration’ that is London. Interestingly perhaps, much as these pieces of art do capture an essence of London, there are no people, or evident traffic, even in the central, major tourist attraction that is Trafalgar Square. Are the black clouds representative of bad weather or pollution? Without these extraneous details in his work, new buildings aside, there is a somewhat timeless element to these paintings. Might they almost have a Victorian feel about them where the London was arguably more polluted, smog ridden, and blacker with the dependence on coal?

The notion of the second being a derivation of the first might be suggested too in the numbering of the pictures, 710 and 713..

This third one, Landscape 704 features a familiar skyline of London. St Paul’s, The Gherkin and the Thames are immediately recognisable. The white of the clouds and the white of the river create the negative spaces to make the dark silhouettes work effectively. The loose style is reinforced with the paint that has been allowed to drip. You sense this was created with fervour and with a clear vision in mind. I like that he has selected limited media and perseveres in fully exploring this in all his artworks, continually exploring it and pushing the boundaries of what he can achieve. That takes confidence and commitment as an artist.

Landscape No. 664 has much more detail and a greater range of mid tones. I really like this image. Apparently it represents: ‘St Paul’s Catherdral… looking towards Blackfriars Bridge’. The more you look, the more details seem to emerge. The black cloud creates a form from which subtle hints of buildings emerge from the background. Distance is represented by a lightening of tones and a diminution in the size of the buildings.

Nicholas Herbert (1955-)

Nicholas is a mixed media artist, most often creating artworks using graphite, colour pencil, soluble crayon, acrylic and pastel on white paper.

He has a series of artwork based on his ‘physical and emotional experiences’ of the Chiltern Hills, which seek to capture ‘the essence of the landscape, its enduring mass, transient atmospherics and ephemeral qualities of light…’ and express his own ‘…meditative thoughts, personal memories and those subconscious responses… [which are] instinctive and intuitive’.

He is aiming to go beyond a literal representation and express so many other aspects to his presence in these places… to go beyond the physical likeness.

The ambiguity, haziness, general sense of place and the colour scheme do create atmosphere. Is it moody, peaceful, reflective… it could be all of these. Although he gives them a specific location they are vague enough to represent many parts of the UK landscape, especially with the sense of gloomier weather represented through his mark making and colour schemes.  Perhaps they are more identifiable if you know the named area.

His palette is limited and almost monochromatic. He uses a mixture of everyday art materials and often distresses the paper in his mark making, which he claims replicates some of the textures he sees.

Interestingly in a newer series called the ‘Amalfi Series’ he employs a similar approach with the same art materials, but clearly is using a brighter palette to replicate and capture the essence of the Mediterranean climate and light.

In all these paintings he still manages to create a sense of aerial perspective. In the first, there is a sense of the trees getting smaller and detail lessening over distance.

In the second and third, light coloured grasses are indicated in the lower left hand edge and tones in the background are lighter.

There is no question, that on first sight this style of pictures is so reminiscent of the works of J W Turner.

J M W Turner (1775-1851)

Apparently this is one of more than 100 paintings of this coastline, thought to be looking towards Margate from the sea. It is unclear whether or not it is finished, but it was not exhibited in his lifetime. In general there is perhaps little more evidence of a ‘focus of attention’ and a wider use of brighter colours in Turners’ work than in the work of Nicholas Herbert, but there is undeniably some similar aspects.

References

HERBERT, Nicholas, (2018), ‘Amalfi Series, Vietri Sul Mare’.,[online]. Available at: http://www.nicholasherbert-drawings.co.uk/about.html [Accessed 8.10.19]

HERBERT, Nicholas, (2015), ‘Landscape L890, Near Bison Hill, The Chiltern Hills’, [online]. Available at: http://www.nicholasherbert-drawings.co.uk/about.html [Accessed 8.10.19]

HERBERT, Nicholas, (2016), ‘Sharpenhoe series, Fields below the Escarpment, The Chiltern Hills’, [online]. Available at: http://www.nicholasherbert-drawings.co.uk/about.html [Accessed 8.10.19]

MONET, Claude, (2019), [online], ‘Claude Monet’, Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet [Accessed 8.10.19]

MONET, Claude, (1890-91), ‘Grainstacks, Snow Effect’,  [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_(Monet_series). [Accessed 8.10.19]

MONET, Claude, (1891), ‘’Haystack (End of Summer Morning),  [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_(Monet_series). [Accessed 8.10.19]

MONET, Claude, (1890-91), ‘Wheatstacks (End of Summer),  [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_(Monet_series). [Accessed 8.10.19]

RUBENS, Peter P, (1636), ‘A view of Het Steen in the early morning’, [online]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Peter_Paul_Rubens/Landscapes  [Accessed 8.10.19]

RUBENS, Peter, P (1638), ‘Landscape with a Tower at Het Steen at Sunset’, [online]. Available at:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Peter_Paul_Rubens/Landscapes Peter Paul Rubens/ Landscapes  [Accessed 8.10.19]

RUBENS, Peter P, (1638-1640), ‘Landscape with tournament near a moated château’. [online]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Peter_Paul_Rubens/Landscapes [Accessed 8.10.19]

TURNER, Joseph Mallord William, (1835-1840), ‘Margate from the sea?’, [online], The Met. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/668933. [Accessed 8.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, ‘John Virtue’, [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Virtue, [Accessed 8.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2005), ‘Its rain-sodden, dirt-caked, foul-tempered, beery-eyed, jack-hammered, traffic jammed, nervy exhilaration. Why I love the painter John Virtue, by Simon Schama’, [online] Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/feb/28/art [Accessed 8.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2003) ‘Artworks, landscape No. 664’, [online]. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/landscape-no-664-29490/view_as/grid/search/keyword:john-virtue/page/2 [Accessed 10.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2003-4), ‘Landscape No. 704’, [online] Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3638891/.html?image=10.  [Accessed 9.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2003-4), ‘Landscape No. 710’, [online], Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3638891/.html?image=6  [Accessed 8.10.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2003-4), ‘Landscape No. 713’, [online], Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3638891/.html?image=8 [Accessed 8.10.19]

Research Point (p68)

Find Contemporary artists who work with landscape and a range of viewpoints and compare their approaches with those of earlier artists.

David Bomberg (1890-1957)

These three paintings

of Toledo in Spain by the Brisith artist David Bomberg, painted around 1929. They are colourful and animated, although the first is in a slightly different style from the second and third. The first uses bright expressive colours based on a blue, purple, ochre and brown palette. They are cool colours representing a hot, dry part of Spain. The town feels cool, fres and it has almost a fairytale quality with the dominating spires in the background.

The second two paintings use a warmer range of Mediterranean blocks of colour, liberally applied with the buildings being set apart from the land primarily by short, angular brushstrokes, contrasting with the longer lines representing the surrounding rocky terrain.

All these pictures feel like paintings of two halves. One is split aross the middle, where the town ‘ends’ and the other two have a diagonal division. They are all painted from an incredibly high perspective looking down on the town as if he is flying. Given the era in which they were painted it does make me wonder how he could have attained such a height to get such views.

El Greco (1541-1614)

This same city was painted by El Greco over 300 years earlier. El Greco, although born in Crete, was known as a Spanish Painter, and he spent most of his life living in Toledo. Two of his landscapes of this city remain. The first, ‘View and plan of Toledo’ includes a trompe l’oeil map of the city and an ‘allegory of the Tagus River’ (Wiki), which references the success of agriculture and the economy. It also has a scene featuring the Virgin Mary in the sky, and an elevation of the Tavera Hospital floating on a cloud so that the architecture could be seen, and its true location is shown in the map. This seems to have been painted from an elevated position too.

The significance of these unusual aspects of this landscape can probably be attributed to his patrons. At this period in art history, landscapes were unheard of as artforms in themselves. As his benefactors were the Catholic Church, we can presume the religious references are to satisfy the Church.

His second painting, View of Toledo, at first sight looks like a more conventional landscape of the town. It is from a lower perspective, perhaps a neighbouring hill? However, apparently this is not a literal representation of the city, and he has relocated some of the more prominent and notable buildings in this composition. On closer inspection, there are also a selection of buildings in the lower left of the painting that also appear to be floating on a cloud. Wikipedia suggests these represent a nearby monastery. Finally, the most striking aspect of this painting is the dramatic and foreboding sky, which is an effective device in making the buildings stand out. Khan Academy suggest the sky is a: ‘view about the nature of man’s relationship with the divine’. Again, an appeasement for his benefactors perhaps?

Tacita Dean (1965- )

Tacita Dean, born in 1965 is a British artist who primarily works in film. She is fighting to preserve this format as an art form and resisting the move to digital media as ‘film’ offers artists qualities and effects that she reveres. Her films have a focus on capturing a moment in time, and often employ ‘long takes and steady camera angles to create a contemplative atmosphere’ (Wiki)

In 2017 she had an exhibition featuring film, photography and art, many focussing on landscape. A YouTube video introduces the exhibition and looks at two of her striking, monumental submissions in particular. )‘Tacita Dean at the Royal Academy’)

The Montafon Letter (2017) is inspired by an avalanche in the Austrian Alps in the seventeenth century which was repudiated to have killed a number of people. It comprised 9 chalkboards with a width of 7m. It is a monumental piece of work, capturing the drama at the very moment it unfolds. The viewer senses the enormity of it, as it towers above and the avalanche heads in their direction. It has a stark, cold and menacing atmosphere, and we look with awe and wonder, knowing that we are safe in that moment, but appreciating what a tremendous and destructive force this avalanche must have been.  

It is rendered in phenomenal detail, just with chalk, which she declines to ‘fix’ as it ruins the effect. It is graphic and unrelenting in size and presence. Adam, in the video by the RA refers to this artwork as representing the landscape as ‘picturesque and sublime’, where sublime can be defined as ‘very great excellence or beauty’ (Google)

Within this picture are apparently handwritten notes, often undecipherable which allude to the tragedy itself. (Griffin, 2018) Griffin adds, the artist is ‘responsive and sensitive to the natural environment’.

A photographic installation entitled ‘Majesty tree’  shows what is deemed to be the oldest tree in Britain. It is the Fredville Oak and is believed to be about 800 years old. It is sited near Dean’s place of birth, Deal, in Kent. The background and surrounding trees in the photograph have been overlaid with gouache. They disappear in the mist. They are not significant.

This tree captures and monopolises our attention. Like the mountain, it is taken looking upwards at the subject matter which seems to make it have more of a presence. Both are free of manmade influence and yet their existence is significant to man.  

Georges Seurat (1859-1891)

By contrast, Seurat’s Landscape with houses, depicts man-made houses barely pulling themselves out of their immersive backgrounds. There are two house roofs that is all we can see of the structures. The one set towards the background is the most visible and draws the viewers attention into the scene. It feels hushed. There is a sense of anticipation.  It is people-less and subtle.

The Art Tribune site says that Seurat:  ‘eliminates lines in favour of subtle shadings of tone indicating at the same time, form, light and space…’ The edges are blurred. He offsets the light tones with darker ones and this interplay of light and shade creates the forms.

Apparently he used a conte crayon on a textured paper, consciously avoiding drawing lines where possible. This gives a luminosity to the drawing as even the darkest areas are not quite black and they seem to shimmer. Seurat called this technique ‘irradiation’.  

Looking at the Tacita Dean image of the Montafon Letter, and the Seurat, Landscape with Houses, how are they the same?

·       The obvious response is in their use of black, white and half tones.

·       They are both successful in creating particular atmospheres even though those atmospheres are very different.

·       They manipulate their use of tones to achieve their desired intentions.

·       Perhaps, both of these drawings rely less on line, and more on tones to create their imagery.

The differences are more readily identifiable.

·       Dean uses a full range of tones, and creates real drama with the contrast of the clouds of powerful white cascading snow rushing full pelt enveloping the darkest tone of the mountain.

·       Seurat’s image seems to lack such a wide range of tones, and has a much lower contrast between the tones he uses.

·       She draws in white on a dark background, and he, with a black conte on white paper.

·       Looking up at this immense natural, awe inspiring mountain  with the impending avalanche generates a physical sense of unease, distress and adrenaline. There is a crashing, roaring sense of noise.

·       Seurat’s by contrast feels sleepy, restrained, muted.

References:

ADAM, Grace (2018), ‘Tacita Dean at the Royal Academy, The Art Channel on YouTube, presemmted nu Grace Adam and Joshua White’ [online} Google. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=Q3utXfPlPKmFjLsPqcW4sAg&q=define%3A+sublime&oq=define%3A+sublime&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i70i249j0l4j0i10j0l4.1153.4285..4694…0.0..0.106.1285.14j1……0….1..gws-wiz.w8kwWMPLLTs&ved=0ahUKEwizk4nxha3lAhWpAmMBHakiDoYQ4dUDCAY&uact=5 [Accessed 21.10.19]

BOMBERG, David(1929),  ‘Toledo and the River Tajo’[ online]. Bridgeman Library. Available at:  https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/ [Accessed 20.10.19]

BOMBERG, David (1929),’ San Miguel, Toledo’, [online]. Bridgeman Library. Available at:  https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/ [Accessed 20.10.19]

BOMBERG, David (1929), ‘Toledo from the Alcazar’ [online]. Bridgeman Library. Available at:  https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/ [Accessed 20.10.19]

DEAN, Tacita, (2006.), ‘Majesty Tree ‘, [online], Royal Academy. Available at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/tacita-dean-landscape. [Accessed 20.10.19]

DEAN, Tacita, (2017), ‘Tacita Dean’ , [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacita_Dean [Accessed 20.10.19]

DEAN, Tacita, (2017), ‘Tacita Dean at the Royal Academy, The Art Channel on You Tube, presented by Grace Adam and Joshua White’, You Tube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwbIRLSx7ic [Accessed 20.10.19]

DEAN, Tacita, (2017), The Montafon Letter’, [online], Royal Academy. Available at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/tacita-dean-landscape.  [Accessed 20.10.19]

DEAN, Tacita, (2018), ‘ Tacita Dean: ‘I don’t care about the long run. I care about now; by Jonathan Griffin‘, [online], Royal Academy. Available at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/magazine-tacita-dean [Accessed 21.10.19

EL GRECO, ( 1599-1600), ‘El Greco – A View Toledo’, [online], Khan Academy. Available at:https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/renaissance-in-spain/a/el-greco-view-of-toledo [Accessed 20.10.19]

EL GRECO, ( 1608), ‘A View and Map of Toledo’, [online], Metropolitan Museum. Available at:https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436575 [Accessed 20.10.19]

EL GRECO, (2019 ),‘El Greco’, [online], Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_and_Plan_of_Toledo [Accessed 20.10.19]

SEURAT Georges, ( 1882-3), ‘Landscape with houses‘, [online] The Art Tribune. Available at: http://www.thearttribune.com/Georges-Seurat-The-Drawings.html [Accessed 20.10.19]

 

 

Townscape Research Point:

The urban environment is a theme increasingly adopted by contemporary artists. Look at the work of John Virtue and other examples to use as inspiration for your own ideas.

I have already looked at work by John Virtue in a previous research task, (Drawing 1, Part 3, Research – Landscape Research, Historic and contemporary artists who work in series with Landscape) however, this research is more concerned with how his paintings have evolved, what he is trying to do in them, who influences him, and a look at some of their work and ways in which they might be seen as inspirational for him.

John Virtue is a British artist who has created landscape and seascape art with white paint and black shellac since the 1970’s. He is so adverse to using colour that he burnt all previous artwork prior to 1970 that had experimented with colour. He has said (Tate) that colour is an ‘unnecessary diversion’. Additionally, in an interview with Andrew Graham Dixon (2018) he said he had a ‘visceral revulsion to what was sold as colour in oil tubes’, and that although he is not colour-blind, he ‘doesn’t see in colour’! He added ‘Colour is MORE in its absence that in its presence’ (You tube) and in his work he seeks to capture the essence and energy of an environment. In 2003-2005 he was an Associate Artist at London’s National Gallery and created paintings inspired by the London landscape and skyline. An article in the Telegraph in 2018 says of this body of work that these landscapes are ‘ambiguous at times’, but feature recognisable buildings.

His works originate as sketches made on walks (Dixon) and are then worked up further in the studio. Sometimes they are not the result of one single drawing but composites of several. His works are unpopulated.

In discussion with Dixon, Virtue confirmed that he believed there was ‘no such thing as a ‘fixed view’ of landscape’, and that his paintings are a representation of how he perceives the world around him.

As a child he was fascinated with Chinese scroll painting and zen calligraphy. This is primarily monochromatic work. He talks with awe of one of these particular accomplished artists who captures ‘9 changes of tone’ in one mark describing a characters cape. This has clearly made a lifelong and profound influence on his own monochromatic large-scale works.

He finds inspiration from Old Masters citing in particular, Constable and the Dutch Landscape artists like Ruisdael (1628-1682) and Koninck (1619-1688).

Both these Dutch masters can be seen to have used limited palettes and have strong darks and lights as contrasts in their art. The second Ruisdael is interesting as it almost employs a similar silhouette device for the church tower, as Virtue often does with his recognisable London landmarks.

Other artists Virtue claims have influenced the development of his style are David Bomberg and Frank Auerback. Auerbach was a student of Bomberg, and in turn, Virtue was a student of Auerbach.

Looking at some of Bomberg’s work of London towards the end of World War II, the influence is immediately recognisable. St Paul’s is a significant feature of many of Virtue’s own London Landscapes, and the monochrome aspect is a key feature.

A painting by Auerbach, Primrose Hill, High Summer 1959, although using a subdued colour palette, does also capitalise on the silhouette technique of a London skyline. There is the recognisable outline of the post office tower (as it was called at the time).

Another artist who worked under Bomberg was Dennis Creffield (1931-2018). In 1985 the Arts Council commissioned him to draw every cathedral in England.

These monochromatic charcoal drawings have essences of both Bomberg and Virtue’s expressive style.

Finally then, Virtue has moved onto painting large monochromatic vistas of seascapes. In these he is clearly capturing the ‘experience’ of the sea. In these grand scale pieces of art, many preparatory sketches contribute to each painting. He refers to ‘the immense uncaring forces of the sea’, and he is seeking to represent the energy rather than the reality and acknowledge that none of these paintings represent just a single moment, but rather his experiences of it. He initially represents these experiences in sketches on weekly walks and fills many sketchbooks with his research drawings before taking them back to the studio to explore and work with further. Of course, in contrast to his London Landscapes and despite the ever changing skyline of the vibrant city that link these to a particular timeframe in history, the Seascapes are timeless.

My initial reaction to looking at the work of John Virtue has evolved on finding out more about him and his work and now I find it very inspirational. It is powerful and yet subtle. The way he creates enough clues for things to be just recognisable and yet he doesn’t squander marks unnecessarily. He captures more than just the buildings, he captures the atmosphere and experience of the place. He has clearly been inspired himself by his teachers and contemporaries, and  I am hoping that I might be able to try and take on board some aspects of my learning about him and his contemporaries in my Assignment for Part 3. I like the idea of working in monochrome and have been exploring Basel with a view to considering views that might lend themselves to such a piece of work. I do anticipate that the task will prove very challenging and I am anticipating that there will need to be a lot of exploratory sketches and experiments with media before I am able to work this into a final piece of work. I am excited but in fairness, also a little in awe of this challenge.

References:

AUERBACK, Frank (1959), ‘Primrose Hill, High Summer’, [online]. Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/search?filter_text=Frank+Auerbach+landscape

BLEADELL, Colin, (2018), ‘Forget YBS’s, buy OBA’s: Why painter John Virtue is top of the Old British Artists’ [online], Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/art/forget-ybas-buy-obas-painter-john-virtue-top-old-british-artists/ . [Accessed 4.11.19]

BOMBERG,  David (1944), ‘Evening in the City of London’, Bridgeman Library [online]. Available at: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/asset/3468204/summary?context=%7B%22route%22%3A%22assets_search%22%2C%22routeParameters%22%3A%7B%22_format%22%3A%22html%22%2C%22_locale%22%3A%22en%22%2C%22filter_text%22%3A%22david+bomberg+london%22%7D%7D . [Accessed 4.11.19]

BOMBERG,  David (1945), ‘St Paul’s and River’, Bridgeman Library [online]. Available at: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/asset/3468204/summary?context=%7B%22route%22%3A%22assets_search%22%2C%22routeParameters%22%3A%7B%22_format%22%3A%22html%22%2C%22_locale%22%3A%22en%22%2C%22filter_text%22%3A%22david+bomberg+london%22%7D%7D . [Accessed 4.11.19]

CREFFIELD,  Dennis, (1987), ‘ Norwich from the East End: High Summer’, [online], Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/creffield-norwich-from-the-east-end-high-summer-t05752 . [Accessed 4.11.19]

CREFFIELD,  Dennis, (1987),’Durham: The Central Tower’, [online]. Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/creffield-durham-the-central-tower-t05753

DIXON, Andrew Graham, (2015), Towner John Virtue Talk with Andrew Graham Dixon’, [online], Townereastbourne, You Tube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFrKtbj1Ab0. [Accessed 4.11.19]

KONICK,  Phillips de (1648), Flat landscape with a view to distant hills’,  [online], Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/search?filter_text=Koninck

RUISDAEL, J I van, (ND), ‘Landscape with Shepherds and Peasants’, [online], Wikipedia FR. Available at: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Jacob_Isaacksz._van_Ruisdael_-_Landscape_with_Shepherds_and_Peasants_-_WGA20501.jpg . [Accessed 4.11.19]

RUISDAEL, J I van, (ND), ‘View of Egmond, Netherlands’, Bridgeman Library. Available at: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/search?filter_text=Ruisdael . [Accessed 4.11.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2019), ‘John Virtue, Biography’ , Tate, available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-virtue-4829. [Accessed 4.11.19]

VIRTUE, John, (2007), ‘John Virtue, London Landscapes, Landscape 712 (2003-4)’, Study for London Landscapes No. 1, (2006), Study for London Landscape, (2006), Study for London Landscapes No. 6, (2006)’,  [online], Annandale Galleries, available at: http://www.annandalegalleries.com.au/exhibition-enlargement.php?workID=735&exhibitionID=126 . [Accessed 4.11.19]