For Palm Sunday

by Benjamin Robert Haydon



Benjamin Robert Haydon, an English painter, born in Plymouth, Jan. 25, 1786, died by his own hand in London, June 22, 1846. Disre-; garding the wishes of his father that he should adopt his own business, that of a bookseller, he went to London at the age of 18, and became a student in the school of the royal academy. He was an enthusiast in the pursuit of what is called "high art," and prosecuted his studies in drawing and anatomy with singular earnest- ness. His first picture, "Joseph and Mary resting with our Saviour after a Day's Journey on the Road to Egypt," was exhibited in 1807, and immediately purchased by Thomas Hope, the author of "Anastasius." This was followed by "Dontatus," a work which established his reputation, but involved him in a quarrel with the academy, whose hanging committee had placed the picture in a small side room. A fondness for controversy led him to publish several attacks upon the academy, which had only the effect of estranging some of his most valuable friends, of exasperating his own temper, and of cutting him off from what was the chief ambition of his life, the honor of being an academician. From this time forward, notwithstanding the frequent production of eminent works, who had constantly to struggle with pecuniary difficulties.

In 1815 he established a school, in opposition to that of the academy, in which the Landseers and Eastlake were instructed, and about the same time became associated in the conduct of a periodical entitled "Annals of the Fine Arts." Having no tact for either pursuit, he failed in both; and in 1823, two years after his marriage, he was so involved in debt that he became an inmate of the king's bench prison, where he remained two months. Subsequently he painted here one of his most characteristic works, "The Mock Election," representing a scene which took place within the prison walls in July, 1827, and which was purchased by George IV. for 500 guineas. For his "Pharaoh and Moses," painted soon after his release, he obtained an equal sum. Notwithstanding these and similar emoluments, in 1836 he again became a prisoner for debt, but was soon after enabled to compound with his creditors. About this time he lectured on painting with considerable success. Upon the publication by government, in great part through Hay-don's own exertions, of proposals for decorating the new houses of parliament with frescoes representing scenes in the history of the nation, he sent to the exhibition in Westminster hall two cartoons, "The Curse" and "Edward the Black Prince." No notice was taken of his performances, and his hope of executing some great public work of art was crushed for ever.

To show the world how erroneous had been the decision of the judges, he commenced a series of gigantic pictures, including " Uriel and Satan," "Curtius Leaping into the Gulf," the " Burning of Rome," and the " Banishment of Aristides," the two latter of which, while on exhibition in London, attracted but 133 visitors during the time that Tom Thumb in an adjoining room received 120,000. Under the weight of this neglect and of pecuniary embarrassments his reason gave way, and while engaged on his last great picture, " Alfred and the Trial by Jury," he put an end to his life, having first written in his journal: "Stretch me no longer on this rough world." A postmortem examination discovered a long-seated disease of the brain, which may account for much of his eccentricity. His family were provided for by a public subscription. Hay-don's autobiography, edited by Tom Taylor in 1853 (2d ed., 3 vols. 8vo), lays bare the character of the man, and explains his unhappy career. His love of art was a passion rather than a principle. An impetuosity of temper, impatience of criticism, and an exaggerated estimate of his own powers and of his mission as the apostle of high art, were continually involving him in disputes.

His "Judgment of Solomon," "Christ's Entry into Jerusalem," "Christ Rejected," "Christ's Agony in the Garden," and "Raising of Lazarus," all painted previous to his first imprisonment for debt, and in the maturity of his artistic powers, are among the most favorable specimens of his style. Several of these pictures contain portraits of eminent personages, and the " Christ's Entry into Jerusalem " is now the property of the Catholic cathedral in Cincinnati. His literary efforts are confined chiefly to his "Lectures on Painting and Design" (2 vols. 8vo, 1844-'6), which are bold and clear expositions of the principles of art as he understood them. He also wrote the article on painting in the "Encyclopaedia Britannica," and induced the government to purchase the Elgin marbles.

The Donkey Reel

By The Dubliners

More Iish Donkeys from the days of Yore!

Irish Donkeys for Saint Patrick's Day

One more for the road, Donkey Train

Donkey Train Samangan Prov, Afghanistan

Another Donkey at work in Afghanistan

More Donkey at work in Afghanistan

3,100 burros have been hired to carry the poll materials

Rafiq Maqbool / AP

Boys with donkeys carry ballot boxes near the village of Baba Ali in Panjshir, north of Kabul, on Aug. 17. Some 3,100 burros have been hired to carry the poll materials, underscoring the logistical difficulties facing election officials in one of the world's poorest countries, Afghanistan.

These truly are democratic donkeys!

Herbert William Weekes

Fowl Talk by
Herbert William Weekes

Herbert William Weekes (fl. 1864 – 1904) was a well-known British genre and animal painter of the Victorian Neoclassical period who specialized in portraying animals in humorous, human-like situations.Contents

Early life and family

Weekes was born ca. 1842 in Pimlico, London, England[1] to a prominent artistic family: the youngest of five children, his father, Henry Weekes, Sr. (1807 – 1877), was a sculptor and Royal Academician; his brother, Henry, Jr. (fl. 1850 – 1884), was also a genre painter known for his animal studies; and his brother, Frederick (1833 – 1920), was an artist and expert on medieval costume and design.

Later life and career

Weekes appears to have used his middle name, William, for all but formal purposes. He lived and worked for most of his life in London, at 21 Oppingdon Road, Primrose Hill. In 1865, he married Caroline Anne Henshaw (born ca. 1844), of Hammersmith.

Known as an animal and genre painter of the Victorian Neoclassical style, his work was popular, and helped expand 19th century animal painting from its traditional role of simply recording beasts into a way of reflecting human life. He was greatly influenced by one of the foremost animal painter of the nineteenth century, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer.

Weekes contributed illustrations for the The Illustrated London News in 1883, and exhibited extensively in various London and provincial galleries. His works were well received - although not by everyone: a contemporary wit described his paintings as “Weekes' Weak Squeaks”.

His works were alternatively signed with the initials 'WW' (sometimes overlaid), 'W. Weekes', 'William Weekes', 'Herbert William Weekes', 'H.W. Weekes', 'H. Weekes', and simply 'Weekes'.

William Luker

Donkey Rides on St Malo Beach 1856
oil on canvas

Donkeys were a favorite subject of Edgar Hunt

Yet another Donkey and Pony by Hunt

Another Edgar Hunt Donkeys with Pony

Somedays I feel like I am holding a cat and pig while riding a donkey

George Morland, Another nice donkey painting!

Did you notice the pig in the sty behind the donkey?

Donkey and Pigs by George Morland

Edgar Hunt, English Painter

Hunt Edgar
British ( 1876 - 1955)

One of the most accomplished animal painters of his day, Edgar Hunt is particularly famous for his farmyard pictures, painted with meticulous detail and finish. Hunt Edgar was born in Birmingham of humble parentage, the son of a part-time art teacher, who greatly encouraged his son's talent.

As a child, Hunt spent much of his time sketching from farm life, and was considerably influenced by his brother, Walter Hunt a skilful animal painter in his own right. By his mid twenties Hunt Edgar had made up his mind to devote himself entirely to the depiction of farmyard animals.

Hunt was a great admirer and friend of John Frederick Herring Junior. When Herring died in 1907, Hunt was inconsolably bereaved and became almost a recluse, rarely leaving his farm in Sussex.

He died virtually unknown, but since his death his pictures have rapidly increased in popularity, and are now avidly collected. Hunt Edgar exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Edgar Hunt and his brother Walter who were born in Birmingham, were the third generation in the Hunt family to become artists.- Hunt Edgar oil painting artist, old oil paintings England- Hunt Edgar - England old oil painting artist, old oil paintings artist Hunt Edgar Bio of old oil painting artists, England oil paintings artist Hunt Edgar, artists oil paintings.

His grandfather was Charles Hunt (1803-1877) who was well-known for his humorous genre subjects which Hunt Edgar exhibited from 1846 at the Royal Academy and other prestigious venues. Edgar’s father was Charles Hunt Jr. (1829-1900). Hunt Edgar painted in a similar vein to his father but Hunt Edgar also did some animal subjects. With this background of artistic achievement it was natural for Edgar and Walter (1861-1941) to become painters.

Edgar had no formal art training but was schooled by his father. Hunt Edgar specialised in painting exquisitely detailed works of farmyard scenes and animals, executed meticulously in a realistic style which never changed throughout his career. Hunt was devoted to animals from a very early age. Hunt Edgar had originally intended to be a farmer and had worked on a farm near Lewes in Sussex for a short period.
The artist lived in the Midlands and sold many of his pictures there. As a result of the Industrial Revolution the middle classes in England had grown increasingly wealthy. Those who had made money in the towns yearned nostalgically for an image of the country and the demand for animal paintings was huge both in England and abroad. Hunt continued the tradition of English animal painting which had begun with Landseer. Landseer was the first English artist to portray animals for their own sake, imbuing them with human characteristics and emotion. Other artists of the period continuing the pastoral tradition were T.S. Cooper, E. Verboeckhoven and Verhoesen.- Hunt Edgar oil painting artist, old oil paintings England- Hunt Edgar - England old oil painting artist, old oil paintings artist Hunt Edgar Bio of old oil painting artists, England oil paintings artist Hunt Edgar, artists oil paintings.

Edgar Hunt was best known for his paintings of chickens but Hunt Edgar also painted other birds such as ducks which were very popular during the period. Donkeys, goats and ponies were also in demand and at which Hunt Edgar excelled. Hunt Edgar was not a public man and rarely exhibited his work. However, Hunt Edgar did show eleven animal scenes at the Royal Society of Artists in Birmingham and ‘Feathered Friends’ was exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Hunt Edgar was a great friend of the artist J.F. Herring Jr. (1815-1907) by whom Hunt Edgar was influenced artistically. Highly successful during his life-time, Edgar Hunt remains ever popular to this day with collectors throughout the world avidly seeking his work.



LITERATURE: ‘The Dictionary of Victorian Painters’ by C. Wood
‘Popular 19th Century Painting’ by Hook & Poltimore
‘Dictionary of Painters’ by E. Benezit

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Donkey Ride

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Promenade a Ane - Donkey Ride 1878
Cummer Museum of Art, Jacksonville, Florida

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adolphe William Bouguereau was born in 1825 in La Rochelle on the west coast of France. As a boy he began to show talent in his early drawings. He wanted to attend art school but his parents wanted him to work in their business. It was a client of theirs who convinced them to send him to school at Bordeaux’s School of Fine Arts.

After Bordeaux he needed money to go on to Paris for further training. His uncle convinced his parishioners to have their portraits painted. The money from this and a loan from an Aunt gave him his chance. The investment would prove to be a wise one. He would study drawing at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris and would learn painting from an established artist,
Francois-Edouard Picot. Winning the Grand Prix of Rome in 1850 earned him a chance to visit Italy to study the works of Italian masters and learn classical styles.

Bouguereau was to be a staunch supporter of the classical art forms and his early successes were based on historical and mythological themes. In 1854 he was awarded portrait and decorative commissions and succeeded in large paintings displayed and sold both in the Paris Salon and in the open market. He gained many commissions to decorate interiors of churches and government buildings. However, government support for this type of work was curtailing and he needed to find new ways to earn income from his art.

Americans were beginning to accumulate wealth and collect art. Fortunately for Bouguereau they were eager for his depictions of youth, pastoral family scenes, the poor, and passionately animated biblical and mythological themes.

Realism runs throughout his work. In all of his subjects, whether a peasant girl, an angel or a mythical satyr the image is wholly believable. Drawing was essential. He would make many preliminary sketches in both pencil and watercolor with detail sketches of a face, hands or feet. He never missed an opportunity to show his ability to render exquisite hands and feet.

He was so tied to the image, he would often be at a loss to title a painting. Even the work he considered his masterpiece had the unassuming title "The Donkey Ride", which his dealer renamed "Return from the Harvest".

Erskine Nicol RSA ARA (1825-1904)

The Irish-Scots figure painter Erskine Nicol, was born in Leith, Scotland. After a short time as a house painters apprentice, he attended the Trustees' Academy at 12 years of age, studying painting and drawing under Thomas Duncan and William Allen. A short appointment as an art teacher at a local Leith school was followed by a 4-year stint as an art master in Dublin. Nicol supplemented his teaching stipend by painting portraits. It was in Ireland that Erskine Nicol found his true style, executing figurative scenes, landscapes and genre studies of the Irish people. In addition, he was one of the few painters of his time to portray the horrors of famine, eviction and emigration in nineteenth-century Ireland.

Returning to Scotland in 1851, he showed a series of such paintings at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA). He became an RSA academician in 1859, then went to live in London in 1862 where, six years later, he was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy (RA). During this time, he returned regularly to Ireland to paint and exhibited his art several times at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). In 1885, he retired from the Royal Academy in London, and went to Scotland before finally settling in Feltham, Middlesex. Erskine's two sons - John Watson Nicol and Erskine E Nicol - followed their father and became artists.

Erskine Nicol's paintings are represented in a number of public and private collections, including the British Museum, Tate Art Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Dundee Art Gallery, Glasgow Art Gallery, Ulster Museum, National Gallery of Ireland and others.




http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/irish-artists/erskine-nicol.htm

Italian Palm Sunday Painting

Barna da Siena

Barna da Siena, also known as Barna di Siena, was a Sienese painter active from about 1330 to 1350, and was the painter in Siena during this period. He learned his trade from Simone Martini. Barna is believed to have paint the frescoes depicting the life of Jesus in the Collegiata di San Gimignano and is generally credited with Christ Bearing the Cross, with a Dominican Friar in the Frick Collection in New York City. He was killed in a fall from the scaffolding. Barna's figures are more dramatic and vigorous than any in previous Sienese painting.