PAISTIKO. 



PAINTING, Ho 



iU be 



of PatatiBit. whieo are laid to have 

 Mr Joh* Reynold* . painter, 

 Cfcarle* J*rn*,*o extravagantly 



of UK faktoMM o( twin. n. 



r BflMWonliy ** A ftnkiBf 



ThornhUl WM the trst rigl'lAmm who met with eaten 

 frnjiilnil-1 m any ottw braneh of painting Uan portraiture, and it 

 WM U Mora the example WM foUowvd. It will be enough to reter 



hall of Ur 







of kit style. Toon*. Hud*on U 

 a fUynoU*. 



doBMft. Paul. M 

 c<dymemcTabUst**Mtera SwJoahn* 



the BTM rawinentar of E*beh art, and the nrat really great English 

 r. WM Willum ll.uth (b. 1697. d. K<). in hi* oho*en line f 

 tire on* of the moat original painter* who ever lived. In 

 la's day, and almwt till the present time, it WM usual to s|ak 



in the words of Walpole. I*"'"*: " but "lender merit a. a 

 attar.* Bat hi* technical ^nerite we batter appreciated now, hilo 

 a* a humourist. hrewd observer of contemporary life, UK I a muter 

 of liiiHHun* rxpraunn in face and form, be i* acknowledged to be 

 without equal [HooABTB. WILLIAM, in Bioo. IHv. ] 



Tb actual head of the BhUah school of |*intin R . bowerer, wu Sir 

 Jo-boa Reynolds (b, 172J.d. 172).the able** and mt intellectual 

 poitiait piintor and the giteJeet onlouriat thi* country hat produoed, 

 and not unworthy to rank with the beet portrait painter* and colouruts 

 of any country ; it is only to be regretted that, owing to hi* imperfect 

 tnhni.l training. eo many of hi* work* are already decayed or 

 decaying. Hie hietorical painting* are only valuable u examples of 

 hu powerful colour and facile handling. Sir Joshua waa the first 

 |<nil*iit of the Royal Aoademy (founded in 1 768), and in that capacity 

 delivered the ' Dnooanea.' which hare eoaroely exerted a leu powerful 

 inflaeoee an En*-tiah art than the productioni of hi* pencil. [REYNOLDS, 

 SIB JOSHUA, in Bioo. Drv.] 



Thomae Gainsborough (b. 1727, d. 1788) wa inferior to Reynolds as 

 a paintrr of male portrait*, but in expreaaing the lighter grace* of the 

 female face and form he WM at leaat hit equal. But his great original 

 poww Uy in painting Engliah cottage-door*, woodland landscapes, 

 watering plsote. and similar simple rustic scenes the poetry of homely 

 ary in which he is without a rival. His handling is, 

 r. very looae, hi* sense of form deficient, and hi* drawing often 

 ant; but he WM an admirable oolourist, and threw arouml 

 almost everything he touched an indescribable charm. Richard Wilson 

 (b. 1713. d. 1782) leaned landscape painting in Italy, and aimed at a 

 more - classic " style, lie wanted many of the qualities which are 

 required in the painter of landscape* of the class to which hi* belong, 

 bat he had a true painter's feeling, and produced many admirable 

 work*. Ueorge Roomer (b. 1734,<L 1802) WM the avowed rival of 

 Reynold* in portrait, and he painted some historical pictures. Benjamin 

 West (b. KM, d. 1820), who succeeded Reynold* M president of the 

 Royal Aoademy, WM a native of Philadelphia, then a British colony, 

 but, after studying some time in Italy, settled while still young in 

 England, and enjoyed until the Regency the post of ]<aintr in ordinary 

 to the king. West's WM a fair representative of the cold academic 

 style of historical painting (hen current ; and, though there wu more 

 of vigour in the historical pictures of James Barry (b. 1741, d. 1806), 

 there WM no more real truth or greatness. Henry Fuseli (b. 1741, 

 d. 1825) WM by birth a Swiss, but resided in this country the larger 

 part of his life, and WM prof, **or of painting in the Royal Academy ; his 

 Mmnrfcm and strange extravagance of conception and expression are 

 notorious. John Opte (b. 1767, d. 1807), James Northcote (b. 1746, 

 d. 1 Ml), and John Hingleton Copley (b. 1737, d. 1815), were among 

 the other most prominent contemporary painter*. 



Succeeding these, and forming the connecting links between the 

 painter* of toe time of Reynolds and those of our own day, are some 

 artisU whom we must be content to mention, referring for further 

 information to the name* in the BIOGRAPHICAL DIVISION. At the head 

 ' of those we may place Wests successor in the academic chair, Sir 

 Thomas Lawrence <b. 1769, d. 1880), the most popular, though not 

 the greatest of KngUah portrait painters. Thomas Stothard (b. 1 765, d. 

 18S4), had a aingulariy graceful fancy, but U seen to moat advantage 

 in the small vignette engravings from his designs. Sir David Wilkic 

 (b. 1785, d. 1841) in hi* earlier works showed inimitable ski!! u a 

 painter of mm of domestic life. William Ktty ,1,. 1787, d. 184D) 

 WM a powerful oolourist, and in his own peculiar line, though that line 

 WM an eminently conventional one, be WM doubtless a master. Joseph 

 Mallard William Turner (b. 1775, d. 1851), the mod original, the most 

 imaginative, and the most comprehensive of landscape painter*, belongs 

 to too recent a date for us to enter upon his merit* or shortcoming* 

 here; nor U it necessary to do so, as he is ipoken of at length in th<- 

 BIOGRAPHICAL Division. John Constable (b. 1770. d. 1837) ; Sir 

 Augustus Wall Caktt<b. 177H, d. 1844); Benjamin Robert Haydon 

 (b. 1786, d. 1848) ; William Collins (b. 1787, d. 1847) ; Charle* Robert 

 Leslie (b. 1704, d. 1859),aad many more, might be quoted u illustrative 

 of the variety, tendency, and character of English painting in the at 

 half of the present century. But to do so without more space than we 

 have now left, would answer no useful purpose. We must not. !,- 

 ever, conclude without reference to the rise and growth of that 

 peculiarly Knglinh branch of the art, water-colour painting. Of course, 

 in speaking of it M an English art, it U not meant to be implied that 



there WM anything new in the practice of employing water u the 

 vehicle, or paper M the material on which the colour* are laid. But 

 the adoption of thi* distinct branch of art, and its special application, 

 are due to our countrymen ; and by them water-colour painting luts 

 been more practised, and carried farther, than by the painter* of any 

 other country. The founder of the Engliah school of water 

 painting WM Paul Saudby (b. 1725, d. 1809), an artist of versatile 

 talent* and great taste. Those to whom its extension is primarily duo 

 were John Cono* (d. 1794); Thomas Qirtin (b. 1775, d. ISOi'i. i!,.- 

 friend and fellow-student of Turner, and Turner himself. Luke 

 Clennell (b. 1781, d. 1839); Samuel Prout (b. 1783, d. 1852); David 

 Cox and others, whose names will recur to the reader, aided materially 

 in raising the art to its present high standing. 



I'.UNTIN.;. KXAMKL. [KNAMEL.] 



PAINTING, HOUSE, i* the art of painting the interior and 

 exterior <<f dwellings and othur building.* with a composition whi. h 

 hall preserve from decay, please the eye, and render the surfaces to 

 which it is applied leas liable to soil and easier to be cleaned. It 

 i* executed either in oil or distemper. 



Oil Paiutiiui. -The principal tools employed are bruahe* made of 

 hogs' bristles for huge surfaces, and gash-tooLs made of finer hair for 

 small work, M mouldings, window-bars, ic. After being used, they 

 are kept in water to prevent their getting hard. 



Concerning the pigments employed, white lead u used for white 

 colour ; it is also the basis of all ordinary colours. The colouring 

 substance* (tlaiitfn) in general use are earths, umber, ochre, Siena, 

 Venetian red, purple, brown, Ac. ; the first three are sometimes burnt, 

 a process which reddens and darken* them. Metallic compounds are 

 red lead, vermilion, Prussian blue, chrome yellow, verdigris, Bruns- 

 wick green, verditer, &c. Animal and vegetable colours are lakes, 

 indigo, ivory black, and lampblack. All these require to be ; 

 very fine in oil This tedious and unwholesome process was fonix-rly 

 performed by hand, and by painter* for their own use ; but now the 

 iiMiiufai'turing chemists are enabled, by the application of machinery, 

 to supply the articles cheaper than they can be prepared at home ; and 

 the painter, being relieved from this troublesome part of hit* business, 

 will, if he aim at excellence in his profession, turn his attention to tJie 

 higher branches of his art-, and study the laws by which colours are 

 related to each other, so as to be able to harmonise or contrast them a* 

 occasion may require. 



The liquids in use are linseed oil (sometimes boiled with litharge to 

 r. tnlcr it quickly-drying, and hence called bolltd oil), and oil or spirits 

 of turpentine, called <ury. These are combined for use in various pro- 

 portions according to circumstances. When the paint is required to 

 bear a gloss, or is intended for outside work, most oil is used; ami ir 

 black, chocolate colour, green, &c., outside, boiled oil alone, or with a 

 very little turps, is best. For flatting, which has no gloss, turps alone 

 is requisite. To all paint a little sugar of lead, or litharge (itryen) 

 is added when required to dry quickly. It is important that all 

 surfaces intended to be painted should be thoroughly dry, other- 

 wise the paint will be liable to peel off. 



With respect to mixing, the workman takes as much white lead M 

 experience tells him is requisite, and a little oil or turps; and after 

 these are mixed by stirring with a stiff knife, he adds dryers and a 

 portion of one or more of the s/ainen above mentioned, according to 

 the tint which he wishes to produce. After reducing the mass to the 

 consistence of cream by the addition of turps or oil, the whole should 

 be strained through a piece of canvas or muslin, when it is ready fur 

 use, and is termed by the workmen > 



For the best work, the knots of yellow deal should be cut out to the 

 depth of a quarter of an inch by the joiner, while the work is on the 

 bench, and pieces of the same wood inserted in their places and glued 

 in hand-tight only, for if compressed by a blow with a hammer they 

 will afterwards swell and spoil the surface. For general purposes the 

 knote are painted with red lead and size. When this is dry, they are 

 smoothed with glass-paper, and the work is ready for primiin/, \\ 1 

 composed of red and white lead ground in and mixed with linseed oil 

 only. When dry, the work is again nibbed down with glass-paper or 

 pumice-stone, and all nail-holes, &c., are stopped with putty. The 

 following coats contain about M much oil as turps, and are termed 

 itfmd colour, third colour, &c. The last coat previous to the finishing 

 one i* in all cases termed the ground, and is nearly the colour of the 

 intended finish : except for black, green, and some other coarse dark 

 colours, for which the ground is lead-colour, composed of white and 

 black mixed together. 



The repainting of old work i* the same M new, with the omission of 

 the knotting and priming. 



Stone-work, stucco, Ac., are treated the same u wood. It is the 

 general practice to repeat the coats, allowing sufficient time between 

 each to dry, till the work cease* to absorb, which is known by the 

 absence of dull spots and patches. It is also the practice to omit 

 turps in mixing colour for work which is expected to absorb nnn-li. A - 

 to yruinix.'/. the methods, tools, and materials adopted in this art vary 

 with almost every workman, and it would be useless to attempt to 

 describe in writing the processes which are so dependent on the artist,'.-! 

 taste. It may suffice to state that the work having received a ^' 

 in ..il of the predominating colour of the material to be imiuteil. t!n> 

 grain of wood is generally represented by semi-transparent colour* 



