| ART “4”
“2”-DAY 28
October |
| ^
Died on 28 October 1856: Johann
Peter Krafft, in Vienna, Austrian painter,
teacher, and curator, born in Hanau, Germany, on 15 September 1780. — From the age of ten, Krafft studied at the Hanau Akademie while at the same time continuing his school education in Hanau. In 1799 he went to Vienna with his sister and studied at the Akademie for three years with the history and portrait painter Heinrich Füger. At this time Krafft painted mythological subjects, made copies from older works and produced several self-portraits that already reveal his capacities in this genre, for example Self-portrait (1799). The dream-like atmosphere of total absorption, which Krafft often achieved through his use of the techniques of early German painting, constitutes one of the most striking aspects of his portraits from the turn of the century. From 1802 to 1804 he was in Paris, where he studied under Jacques-Louis David and François Gérard. The work of these two, together with that of Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Antoine-Jean Gros, was to influence Krafft’s later work when he returned to Vienna. David’s realist tendencies in painting had a fundamental effect on Krafft’s artistic output, and it was through Krafft that this realism contributed to a development towards Biedermeier art in Vienna. In 1808 Krafft went on a study trip to Rome; on his return to Vienna he produced numerous portraits, a genre that occupied him for the rest of his career, allowing him to make a handsome living. His portraits are characterized by the emphasis he placed on specific traits of the face of the sitter, by an economy of outline and by the cool, often sharply graduated coloring. The composition is usually either ‘modern’, in the sense that David’s portraits are modern (the subject facing the observer and the background unobtrusive), or it tends more towards a Baroque presentation of the subject (as in the portrait of Franz Wesseley, 1810). — LINKS — Count Ferenc Barkóczy (1812, 190x127cm; 792x516pix, 132kb) _ Count Ferenc Barkóczy was the alderman of Pest County, known from the inscription to be found on the right side of the painting. — The Attack of Zrinyi (1825, 455x645cm; 702x998pix, 130kb) — Die Sieger von Aspern (1820, 112x159cm; 756x1078pix, 86kb) — Die Heimkehr des Landwehrmanns (1817; 400x524pix, 55kb) — Œdipe et Antigone (1809, 66x53cm; 512x408pix, 76kb) _ 2 détails et le mythe d'Antigone |
| ^
Born on 28 October 1603: Simon de Vos,
Antwerp Flemish painter who died on 15 October 1676. — In 1615 he became a student of the unrelated Cornelis de Vos [1584 – 09 May 1651]; Jan Cossiers may have been a fellow-apprentice. By 1620 Cornelis de Vos was already a master in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke. For the next eight years he may either have worked in Rubens’s studio or have traveled abroad. The latter is more likely in view of the similarities between de Vos’s oeuvre and that of Johann Liss, who was in Rome and Venice at that time. This hypothesis is supported by the italianizing characteristics evident in de Vos’s early work. The Portrait of Three Men (1626) has been attributed to de Vos and the sitters identified as Jan Cossiers, Simon de Vos, and possibly Johan Geerlof; if this is correct, de Vos would have painted it in Aix-en-Provence. (De Vos and Cossiers may already have met in Rome between 1624 and 1626.) The iconography of the picture seems consonant with the genre works of the Bentveughels (members of the Schildersbent, a confraternity of northern artists working in Rome). — Jan van Kessel II was a student of Simon de Vos. — Abigael devant David (1640; 885x1063pix, 82kb — ZOOM to 1328x1595pix, 181kb) — David et Abigael (1655) — The Raising of Lazarus (109x160cm) |
| ^
Died on 28 October 1925: George William Joy,
Irish painter born on 07 July 1844, brother of the sculptor Albert Bruce
Joy [1842–1924]. — {His artwork is always a Joy to look at.] — George W. Joy studied in London at the South Kensington School of Art and later at the Royal Academy Schools under John Everett Millais, Frederic Leighton and G. F. Watts. From 1868 his education continued in Paris under Charles-François Jalabert [1819–1901] and Léon Bonnat. Joy’s mature work is largely concerned with the depiction of the human form in narrative and allegorical subjects from historical, Classical, literary and religious sources. His light-hearted but elaborate works on the theme of childhood, such as Thirty Years before Trafalgar: Young Nelson and his Grandmother (1883), gained a wide popularity. Among his outstanding paintings is the Death of General Gordon, Khartoum, 26 January 1885, which represents Joy’s patriotic attempt to ‘awaken the conscience of the nation’; it was one of the few Royal Academy exhibits on the subject. Bayswater Omnibus (1895), a modern-life painting, displays his powers of observation at their keenest. Joy’s output consisted principally of oil paintings, and a detailed account of his methods is included in his autobiography. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1872 and 1914, and his work was well received at the Salon in Paris. — Christ and the Little Child (1898; 864x1280pix, 95kb) — Flora MacDonald's Farewell to Bonnie Prince Charlie (700x528pix, 34kb) _ On 19 September 1746, Prince Charles left Scotland after his failed attempt to take back Scotland for the Stewarts during the reign of Hanovarian George II. Flora MacDonald helped in his escape by dressing him as her maid, Betty Burke, and bringing him thus disguised to Skye, from whence he departed to France {dressed again in the proper attire of a Scottish man, at least in this picture}. — Truth (48kb) (naked of course) |
| ^
Born on 28 October 1909: Francis Bacon,
Dublin-born English Expressionist
painter, specialized in portraits.
who died on 28 April 1992. — Self-taught, he expressed the satirical, horrifying, and hallucinatory in such works as Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944). One of the most individual, powerful and disturbing artists of the period following World War II, he took the human figure as his subject at a time when art was dominated by abstract styles, and he was also one of the first to depict overtly homosexual themes. Though largely self-taught, he was widely read and of great independence of mind. His subject-matter and procedures of painting are too personal to be imitated with any real success by other artists, but in Britain and further afield he remains a towering example to those dedicated to the depiction of the human figure. — At the age of 16, Bacon moved from Dublin to London and later lived for about two years in Berlin and Paris. Although Bacon never attended art school, he began to draw and work in watercolor about 1926–27. Pablo Picasso’s work decisively influenced his painting until the mid-1940s. Upon his return to London in 1929, he established himself as a furniture designer and interior designer. He began to use oils in the fall of that year and exhibited a few paintings as well as furniture and rugs in his studio. His work was included in a group exhibition in London at the Mayor Gallery in 1933. In 1934, Bacon organized his own first solo show at Sunderland House, London, which he called Transition Gallery for the occasion. He participated in a group show at Thomas Agnew and Sons, London, in 1937. Bacon painted relatively little after his solo show and in the 1930s and early 1940s destroyed many of his works. He began to paint intensively again in 1944. His first major solo show took place at the Hanover Gallery, London, in 1949. From the mid-1940s to the 1950s, Bacon’s work reflected the influence of Surrealism. In the 1950s, Bacon drew on such sources as Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650; 141x119cm; 1059x880pix, 126kb) by Velázquez, The Painter on the Road to Tarascon (1888, 48x44cm; 558x505pix, 96kb) by van Gogh, and photographs by Eadweard Muybridge [1830-1904]. His first solo exhibition outside England was held in 1953 at Durlacher Brothers, New York. In 1950–1951 and 1952, visited South Africa. He visited Italy in 1954 when his work was featured in the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. His first retrospective was held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, in 1955. Bacon died in Madrid. — Biography — LINKS — Self-Portrait (1971, 35x30cm; 1010x852pix, 195kb) — Study for Portrait VI (1953, 152x117cm; 1/3 size; 2411kb) — Isabel Rawsthorne standing in a street in Soho (1967; 653x473pix, 130kb) — Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne (1967; 497x629pix, 118kb) — Study After Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953, 153x118cm; 200kb) — Head VI (1949, 93x76cm; 662x549pix, 75kb) _ supposed to be a screaming Pope. Screaming, OK. But dressed in purple instead of white? — Triptych (1973: 3 separate images, each 270x200pix, 10kb) with comments. — A dog (442x530pix, 62kb) _ Unfinished. Attribution disputed, but, whoever the artist, it is not Denis Wirth-Miller — who later painted A cornfield (1958; 592x700pix, 62kb) on the reverse side. |
| ^
Died on 28 October 1987: André Masson,
French Surrealist painter, sculptor, draftsman, printmaker, illustrator,
stage designer, and writer, born on 04 January 1896. — His work played an important role in the development of both Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, although his independence, iconoclasm and abrupt stylistic transitions make him difficult to classify. Masson was admitted to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts et l’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Brussels at the age of 11. Through his teacher Constant Montald, he met the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren [1855–1916], who persuaded Masson’s parents to send him to Paris for further training. S. W. Hayter was one of his teachers. Masson joined the French infantry in 1915 and fought in the battles of the Somme; he was gravely wounded, and his wartime experiences engendered in him a profound philosophy about human destiny and stimulated his search for a personal imagery of generation, eclosion and metamorphosis. One of his best known paintings is Labyrinth. — Masson spent most of his youth in Brussels, where he worked as pattern-drawer in an embroidery studio and studied part-time at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Then moved to Paris and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts 1912-14. Served in the French Army 1914-1919, and was gravely wounded. Lived 1919-1922 in the South of France, then returned to Paris where he met Gris, Derain, and later Mir-13 and Breton. First one-man exhibition at the Galerie Simon, Paris, 1923. Paintings of forests, card players and still life, followed by experiments with automatic drawing. Participated from 1924-1929 in the Surrealist movement. Made further works exploring chance effects, including sand paintings, as well as paintings of metamorphoses of animal and human forms, themes of germination, combats and massacres, with emphasis on violence and eroticism. Lived 1934-1936 in Spain; paintings of bullfights, Spanish myths, etc. Took refuge 1941-1945 in the US, where he lived at New Preston, Connecticut, and made works inspired by the elemental forces of nature. Returned to France in 1945 and settled in 1947 at Aix-en-Provence. Painted landscape themes such as mountains and waterfalls for several years, followed by some almost completely abstract pictures. His works also include sets and costumes for the theatre, book illustrations and a number of small sculptures; has written various books including Mythologie d'André Masson (1971). — LINKS — The Sun from "Verve" (color lithograph poster 35x25cm; 4/5 size) — The Moon from "Verve" (color lithograph poster 35x25cm; 4/5 size) — Don Giovanni fourth of a portfolio of eight Metropolitan Opera Fine Arts Posters (color lithograph 91x61cm; 3/8 size) — Ulysse chez Circée (1972) — Les Terres rouges et la Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1948, 96x77cm) — Les Filles de cuisine (1961, 50x61cm) — Petite Bacchanale (449x670pix, 159kb) |
| ^
Died on 28 October 1577:
Michele Tosini di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio,
Italian painter born on 08 May 1503. — He studied under Lorenzo di Credi and Antonio del Ceraiolo (fl 1520–1538) before entering the workshop of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio [04 Feb 1483 – 06 Jan 1561] to whom he became an assistant . By 1525 Tosini was frequently collaborating with Ghirlandaio, and their closeness is reflected in Tosini’s adopted name. Tosini began painting in the early 16th-century Florentine style of Fra Bartolommeo and Andrea del Sarto (e.g. the Virgin of the Sacred Girdle, c. 1525; Florence, S Marco). His acceptance of Mannerism was slow, but by the 1540s the influence of Francesco Salviati and Agnolo Bronzino was observable in his work. After 1556 Tosini worked for Giorgio Vasari in the fresco decoration of the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Through Vasari’s example, Tosini adopted a vocabulary derived from the work of Michelangelo and painted some of his best-known works in this manner (e.g. Night, 1560; and Leda,1560). He painted several important commissions late in his career: the fresco decoration of three city gates of Florence (1560s), the altar in the chapel at the Villa Caserotta (1561), near San Casciano Val di Pesa, and the paintings on the sides and back of the tabernacle of the high altar of S Maria della Quercia (1570), Viterbo. Tosini headed a large workshop that made numerous altarpieces and paintings. Among his students were Stoldo Lorenzi, Girolamo Macchietti, Bernardino Poccetti. — LINKS — Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist _ In front of a hilly landscape, the Virgin holds the Christ Child while young Saint John the Baptist looks on in adoration. The painting may be attributed to Tosini. An eclectic painter, Tosini combined elements of Andrea del Sarto [1486-1531] with others of Michelangelo [1475-1564], to create his own Mannerism, as seen here in the unnatural green hue of the Virgin´s skin, and the vacant eyes of the Christ Child which lend a slightly disconcerting air to the picture. The composition and tonality, including the shape of the Virgin´s dress, her wavy center-parted hair, shaded eyes, and chubby, curly- haired children appear throughout the body of his work. The Virgin´s head may be compared especially with his Saint Barbara, Night, Leda, Lucrezia Romana, and, above all, his Madonna of the Holy Family. Details such as the folds of the dress, the treatment of the hands, and pink and white skin are matched in his Mary Magdalen. For further comparisons see the Madonnas attributed to Tosini. Tosini was the head of an important Florentine workshop. Tosini´s early career was linked to that of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio [1483-1561], the teacher from whom he took his nickname. Tosini´s later works closely resemble those of Giorgio Vasari [1511-1574] who represented primarily religious subjects. The Madonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist was at various times misattributed to Andrea del Sarto, and to his student Pontormo. When this painting was restored in June 1990 it was found that all of the pigments examined would have been available in the 16th century. Lead tin yellow (Sn), a minor component of the yellow-green leaves in the background. became unavailable as an artist´s pigment after 1750. — a different Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist (1550) — Charity (1570) _ Charity, the greatest of the theological virtues (the others are Faith and Hope), is here represented as a woman with three children. From the 16th century onwards, Charity was commonly depicted as a woman suckling her young. This picture derives from the larger Charity (1558, 156x122cm) of Francesco Salviati [1510-1563] and was previously catalogued as by a follower of Salviati. I |
site safe for children 
