Category Archives: CourseWork

Exercise 3.1 – Reflecting on the Picturesque

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Having found that the link provided in the course text is no longer available, I used Google, JSTOR, and Archive.org to provide some relevant information.

The picturesque movement gained traction during the years where hedonistic travelers moved by their own curiosity to explore other countries. Authors lead by Gilpin, wrote in a style to convey geographical knowledge gained when traveling, where they could select in advance the places and locations which were worth seeing and reflecting upon. Gilpin especially when writing in his book ‘Observations on the River Wye’ (Gilpin, 1782) viewed the picturesque as a scene where ‘Enchanting’ and elegant’. Where Gilpin was presented with a manufactured or ‘chosen’ view, he preferred the view not to be too manufactured and modern and did not like ‘regularity’ in their shape and design.

Picturesque is the third column for the communication of ideas to the viewer of a landscape. Godwin first proposed the idea of picturesque during his essays and books detailing his journeys around the British landscape. Unlike Burkes Beauty and the Sublime, picturesque was a gentler idea from the age of romanticism in art and literature. Picturesque does not have the ‘dangerous’ frisson contained within Burkes concepts but instead is a gentler, quieter concept where the scene and view are detailed and manufacturer in a way to give a pleasant warm feeling to the viewer. The picturesque landscape may have fences, gates, and buildings removed and instead an animal or farm worker inserted instead to give a sense of scale to the viewer.

In the same manner as Fay Godwin, the picturesque can be seen as ‘soft warm blankets of sentiment’ (course material p84) where the landscape is idealized in a chocolate box manner. These types of images repeatedly appear in calendars or on postcards and they give a prescribed idea of the location in an ‘unreal way’ (ibid). While these images are not social commentaries on the location they do not provide much insight into the location or any underlying social issues. Many of these images have been repeated incessantly over the years and in some cases, they no longer reflect the actual scene.

This can be seen in the case of the Scottish Highlands where a scene from the film ‘Skyfall’ was filmed; this quiet area is now regularly churned up by tourists wanting to replicate the scene from the film without understanding their own impact on the physical landscape. 

While the picturesque image is one to admire; I for one would like to capture such a scene, there is a personal feeling that the images are too clean, too manufactured, to distant from the actual landscape to provide a realistic link to the viewer, as an art student I feel that the picturesque image communicates an unreal and ideal image unlinked to the day to day existence of the view contained within the scene.

References

Townsend, D, 1997. The Picturesque. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 55, No. 4 (Autumn, 1997), pp. 365-376.

Scaramellini, G, 1996. The picturesque and the sublime in nature and the landscape: Writing and iconography in the romantic voyaging in the Alps. Geography and Literature, Vol. 38, No. 1,, pp. 49-57.

Gilpin, W., 2005. Observations on the River Wye. Pallas Athene Arts.

The University of Arizona Museum of Art and Archive of Visual Arts. 2018. 19th Century Landscape – The Pastoral, the Picturesque and the Sublime – The University of Arizona Museum of Art and Archive of Visual Arts. [ONLINE] Available at: http://artmuseum.arizona.edu/events/event/19th-century-landscape-the-pastoral-the-picturesque-and-the-sublime. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

Blanton Museum of Art. 2018. American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting – Austin’s Blanton Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blantonmuseum.org/exhibition/american-scenery-different-views-in-hudson-river-school-painting/. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950 – Victoria and Albert Museum. 2018. The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950 – Victoria and Albert Museum. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-romantic-tradition-in-british-painting-1800-1950. [Accessed 04 September 2018]./

Art 109 Renaissance to Modern. 2018. Romantic Landscape Painting and the Sublime – Art 109 Renaissance to Modern. [ONLINE] Available at: https://art109textbook.wordpress.com/new-online-textbook-2-2/romanticism/romantic-landscape. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

Early Romantic Landscapes. 2018. Early Romantic Landscapes. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/romland.html. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

Tate. 2018. Art and the Sublime | Tate . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/display/art-and-sublime. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

The Guardian. 2018. Skyfall location in Scottish Highlands blighted by litter and fly-tipping | Film | The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/18/skyfall-james-bond-location-scotland-campers-litter-fly-tipping. [Accessed 04 September 2018].

Exercise 1.3 Establishing Conventions

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The exercise tasks us to use multiple resources to find at least 12 examples from 18th and 19th Century Landscape Painters. Then to list the commonalities which can be seen in these paintings.

Using Reference books, web search engines and online articles; I selected the following.

Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828)

Richard_Parkes_Bonington_005 (1)

Figure 1. Normandy (1823), Public Work
Peter De Wint (1784-1849)

Roman Canal, Lincolnshire c.1840 by Peter De Wint 1784-1849

Figure 2. Roman Canal , Lincolnshire (c.1840),
John Sell Cotman (1782-1842)
Llanthony Abbey 1801 by John Sell Cotman 1782-1842Figure 3, Llanthony Abbey (1801), Private Work,

 

Samuel Scott (1702-1772)
An Arch of Westminster Bridge c.1750 by Samuel Scott c.1702-1772Figure 4. An Arch of Westminster Bridge (c.1750), Private Commission for Sir Lawrence Dundas
William James Mueller (1812-1845)
View of Bologna: Capriccio with Eastern Figures c.1835 by William James M?ller 1812-1845Figure 5. View of Bolognia: Capriccio with Eastern Figures, (c 1835),
Michael Angelo Rooker
ma rooker south east view of winsor castleFigure 6. South View of Windor Castle, 1776, Private Commission, 
John Robert Cozens (1752-1797)
JR Cozens The valley of the Eisak Near Brixen in the TyrollFigure 7. The Valley of the Eisak Near Brixen in the Tyrol, 1783/84, 

 

Fredrick Erwin Church (1826-1900)
FE Church View to CotopaxiFigure 8. View of Cotopaxi, 1857, Private Commision for Walter Wright
Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)
1911.4.1_1.tifFigure 9. Aurora Borealis, 1865, Smithsonian Museum,
Asher Brown Durand (1796–1886)
AB Durand Landscape with BirchesFigure 10. Landscape with Birches, c 1855, sold to Jonathan Sturges
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
1992.14Figure 11. The Fountain of Vaucluse, 1841
Thomas Hearne (1744-1817)
Thomas Herne Glastoburgh AbbeyFigure 12. Glastonbury Abbey (1795), Private Commision
Thomas Girtin (1775-1802
Thomas Girvin Bamburgh CastleFigure 13. Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland (1797-1799)
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851)
D 5446Figure 14. Edinburgh from Calton Hill (1819)

 

List of commonalities:

  •  Use of the rule of thirds and lead in lines by many of the artists.
  • The majority of the works have people in the scene
  • A couple of works feature rural scenes feature domesticated animals, none as far as I have chosen feature wild animals.
  • Buildings are shown in the work as either dominating the scene as a ruin or as a main part of the background.
  • The majority are in ‘landscape’ orientation, although few are in the 16:9 ratio.
  • Trees/woodland feature heavily and include water either flowing as a waterfall or standing as a lake. Rivers are shown as calm.
  • The majority show rural scenes of the countryside which are idillyic
  • The sky is either dramatic or it is a blue calm sky
  • The lighting in the majority of the works is golden light.
  • Use of natural tones and vibrant greens

A few of the things that stood out to me:

  •  The shape of the frame fits the work rather than the other way around. It looks as if a few frames have been altered after the work was completed,
  • Later paintings take on the Sublime element, adding drama through colour or composition.
  • Commissions were made by patrons who wanted their “land seat” to be composed as impressive as possible.

 

The second part of the exercise tasks us with searching for and showing  landscape photographs from any era which conform he commonalities listed.

Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams The_Tetons_and_the_Snake_RiverFigure 15. The Tetons and Snake River (1942)
  • Use of the rule of thirds and lead in line
  • Dramatic Sky
  • Landscape orientation
  • Trees/woodland,
  • River is shown as calm.
  • Grand/Rural Scene
David Speight
David Speight Misty Dawn at Kilchurn castle
Figure 16. Kilchurn Castle at Sunrise  
  • Landscape orientation,
  • Trees/woodland feature heavily and include water either flowing as a waterfall or standing as a lake.
  • The rural scenes of the countryside which are idillyic
  • The sky is both dramatic and it is a blue calm sky
  • The lighting is golden light.
  • Use of natural tones and vibrant greens
  • Use of the rule of thirds
Carr Clifton
Carr Clifton
Figure 17 
  • Use of the rule of thirds
  • Landscape orientation,
  • The majority show rural scenes of the countryside which are idillyic
  • The sky is a blue calm sky
  • The lighting in the majority of the work is golden light.
  • Use of natural tones and vibrant greens
Franco Fontana
Franco Fontana Pugla 1987
Figure 18. Puglia, 1984  
  • Use of the rule of thirds
  • Landscape orientation
  • Trees/woodland feature
  • The majority show rural scenes of the countryside which are idillyic
  • The sky is a blue calm sky
  • The lighting is golden light.
  • Use of natural tones and vibrant greens

 

Conclusions

The paintings are much more dramatic, some capture the nightmare state of the sublime.
The paintings show ruined abbeys, the photographs mainly show city scenes or striking landscapes; few photographs that I could find would have a ruin as the main subject of the scene or work.

The photographs show a more realistic scene, the colours are more vibrant. The contrast is better in the photographs and in all they have a more natural feel to them.

Very photographs have people within the scene in the same composition as the paintings; I struggled to find photographic work and compositions which reflected a similar scene to the paintings.

Attribution of Figures

Figure 1,
Richard Parkes Bonington, (1823), Normandy [ONLINE]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Parkes_Bonington#/media/File:Richard_Parkes_Bonington_005.jpg[Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 2,
Peter De Wint, (1840), Roman Canal, Linconshire [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/de-wint-roman-canal-lincolnshire-n03480 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 3,
John Sell Cotman, (1801), Llanthony Abbey [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/cotman-llanthony-abbey-t00970 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 4,
Samuel Scott, (1750), An Arch of Westminster Bridge [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/samuel-scott-480 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 5,
William James Muller, (1835), View of Bologna: Capriccio with Eastern Figures [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/muller-view-of-bologna-capriccio-with-eastern-figures-n01463[Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 6,
Michael Angelo Rooker, (1776), South View of Windor Castle [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search#/6/collection/700408/south-east-view-of-windsor-castle [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 7,
John Robert Cozens, (1783), The Valley of the Eisak Near Brixen in the Tyrol, [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/158411?search_no=5&index=1 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 8,
Frederic Edwin Church, (1857), View to Cotopaxi [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/American/artwork/76571 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 9,
Frederic Edwin Church, (1865), Aurora Borealis [ONLINE]. Available at: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/aurora-borealis-4806 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 10,
Asher Brown Durand, (1855), Landscape with Birches [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/landscape-with-birches-33754 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 11,
Thomas Cole, (1841), The Fountain of Vaucluse [ONLINE]. Available at: https://collections.dma.org/artwork/4031115 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 12,
Thomas Hearne, (1795), Glastonbury Abbey [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1920P683/images/135700 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 13,
Thomas Girtin, (1797), Bamburgh Castle [ONLINE]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Thomas_Girtin#/media/File:Thomas_Girtin_005.jpg[Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 14,
JMW Turner, (1819), Edinburgh from Calton Hill [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/50144/edinburgh-calton-hill?artists[15158]=15158&search_set_offset=27#related-media-anchor [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 15,
Ansel Adams, (1942), Grand Tetons and the Snake River [ONLINE]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adams_The_Tetons_and_the_Snake_River.jpg [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 16,
David Speight. (2018), Kilchurn Castle at Sunrise {ONLINE]. Available from: https://www.davidspeightphotography.co.uk/portfolio/view/misty-dawn-at-kilchurn-castle-argyll-and-bute-scotland/scotland-landscape-photography

Figure 17,
Carr Clifton, (2018), Appalachian Mountains [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-landscape-photographers/ [Accessed 23 February 2018].

Figure 18,
Franco Fontana, (1987), Puglia [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.photoandcontemporary.com/work.aspx?wr=561&ar=3 [Accessed 23 February 2018].

 

References

Artcyclopediacom. 2018. Artcyclopediacom. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/general/alphabetic.html

In-text citation: (Artcyclopediacom, 2018)

The guardian. 2017. Landscape Photographer of the Year 2017. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2017/oct/16/landscape-photographer-of-the-year-2017-11-uk-scenery-in-pictures

In-text citation: (The guardian, 2017)

Phototracescom. 2016. Phototracescom. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-landscape-photographers/

In-text citation: (Phototracescom, 2016)

Nationalgalleryorguk. 2018. Nationalgalleryorguk. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/richard-parkes-bonington

In-text citation: (Nationalgalleryorguk, 2018)

Wikipediaorg. 2018. Wikipediaorg. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Parkes_Bonington

In-text citation: (Wikipediaorg, 2018)

Tate. 2018. Tate. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/peter-de-wint-148

In-text citation: (Tate, 2018)

Tate. 2018. Tate. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-sell-cotman-116

In-text citation: (Tate, 2018)

Tate. 2018. Tate. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/samuel-scott-480

In-text citation: (Tate, 2018)

Tate. 2018. Tate. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-james-muller-391

In-text citation: (Tate, 2018)

Royalcollectionorguk. 2018. Royalcollectionorguk. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search

In-text citation: (Royalcollectionorguk, 2018)

Articedu. 2018. Articedu. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/158411?search_no=5

In-text citation: (Articedu, 2018)

Articedu. 2018. Articedu. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/American/artwork/76571

In-text citation: (Articedu, 2018)

Americanartsiedu. 2018. Smithsonian American Art Museum. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://americanart.si.edu/artist/frederic-edwin-church-881

In-text citation: (Americanartsiedu, 2018)

Mfaorg. 2018. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.mfa.org/collections/search

In-text citation: (Mfaorg, 2018)

Dmaorg. 2018. Dmaorg. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://collections.dma.org/artwork/4031115

In-text citation: (Dmaorg, 2018)

Bmagicorguk. 2018. Bmagicorguk. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.bmagic.org.uk/people/Thomas Hearne

In-text citation: (Bmagicorguk, 2018)

Severn internet services – wwwseverninternetcouk. 2018. Bmagicorguk. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: http://www.bmagic.org.uk/results?s=adv

In-text citation: (Severn internet services – wwwseverninternetcouk, 2018)

Nationalgalleriesorg. 2018. Nationalgalleriesorg. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/

In-text citation: (Nationalgalleriesorg, 2018)

Davidspeightphotographycouk. 2018. David Speight Photography. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.davidspeightphotography.co.uk/portfolio/view/misty-dawn-at-kilchurn-castle-argyll-and-bute-scotland/scotland-landscape-photography

In-text citation: (Davidspeightphotographycouk, 2018)

Photo & contemporary, . 2018. Photo & Contemporary . [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from:

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Phototracescom. 2016. Phototracescom. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-landscape-photographers/

In-text citation: (Phototracescom, 2016)

Wikipediaorg. 2018. Wikipediaorg. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape

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Wikimediaorg. 2018. Wikimediaorg. [Online]. [23 February 2018]. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Thomas_Girtin

In-text citation: (Wikimediaorg, 2018)

 

 

Part 1 Exercise 1.1

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In this, the first exercise, we are tasked to draw a rough sketch of a landscape or describe and make notes of a landscape. Either way the exercise is to examine the preconceptions about landscape that I may have and then to review these preconceptions to see how they fit with the reality of landscape and Art.

While I went straight to reviewing images from Turner and Constable before the course material started I had already started to realised that I had a number of preconceptions. When the course material arrived and I started this exercise I realised that these preconceptions can easily be challenged and some of the “rules” that I instantly thought of can be broken. At this point no rules are really set in concrete and this course should help me challenge myself.

What I sketched was a simple view looked over a road and off into the distance, I could see people, movement, a fixed foreground, deep depth perception as the view moved off towards the horizon.

I can see that straight away I fixed the horizon in the middle of the view and that this itself is one of my main preconceptions which I shall have to break.

The exercise also asks that I write a few lines on why we chose to study this course and what we hope to learn from it.

I chose landscape as I wanted to continue to challenge myself; I had just completed my last level 1 course (Context and Narrative) and I enjoyed the challenge of that course and I felt that I was time that I stepped up. Personally, I am fascinated by landscape artists and I want to learn all that I can about the style, technique and challenges of not only putting the countryside into frame but also seascape, architecture, cityscape and the combination of these together. I want to see how I express myself through this work and help strengthen and expand my voice as an artist.