Among the flower and fruit painters

Among the flower and fruit painters in England, during the 18th century and the first few decades of the nineteenth,conspicuous places must be assigned to Mary Moser, R.A., Mrs. Margaret Meen, and Anne Frances Byrne, illustrations of whose pictures will be found on page 94; and the reader will do well to compare this early work with that of Mrs. Coleman Angell, the female counterpart of William Hunt (page 102). decorative painting
Whilst these flower-painters were busy, another small group of ladies won considerable popularity by their little figure-subjects, such as the Countess Spencer's drawing on page 90, or again, like the fanciful miniatures by Mrs. Mee or the sentimental portraits by Mrs. J. Robertson, types of which are given on page 93. Miss Curran's portrait of Shelley is a valuable portrait-sketch historically (page 90), and it has something of the charm that distinguishes the able portraits drawn to-day by the Marchioness of Granby. original oil paintings
What can be said about Mrs. Margaret Carpenter? Is she not to be placed among those quiet, unpretentious portrait-painters whose thoughts are so wrapped up in their determination to be true that they never think of striving after exhibition-room effects? Margaret Carpenter gives us the character of her sitters, and not technical displays of her own cleverness. Born at Salisbury, in 1793, the daughter of Captain Geddes,art oil paintings online, this able painter came to London in 1814, and married, in 1817, William Carpenter, who for many years was Keeper of the Print Room in the British Museum. She exhibited often at the Royal Academy until 1864, and made a great reputation by her portraits. She died in 1872, leaving a son, William Carpenter (1819-1899), to continue the art tradition which she had herself carried on in her family.

English School, XVIII Century  where to buy oil paintings

PORTRAIT OF THE LADY GEORGIANA SPENCER.
AFTER THE PAINTING IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL SPENCER.
FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY HANFSTAENGL
Catharine Read, Painter
Died about 1786

Some may think that Margaret Carpenter began the modern history of women painters in England; others may grant that distinction to the intuitive and radiant work of Lady Waterford, that most gifted of all amateurs. It seems truer to say that Margaret Carpenter is best described as a connecting-link between the old and the new, and that Lady Waterford is not only so faithful to herself but so spontaneous,cheap oil paintings on canvas, that her good gifts belong to no particular school or period. They certainly owed much to the colour of the Venetian School, far more to that old source of inspiration than to any influence of the 19th century. But the main characteristics of Lady Waterford's appeal come to us from the painter's own heart and beautiful æsthetic intellect. The ease with which she composed, and the charming animation of all her designs,oil paintings for sale cheap, these were natural qualities uninfluenced by any teaching; and they won the ardent admiration of the late Mr. G. F. Watts. It is the spirit alone of Lady Waterford's art that we should admire; we must not look closely at the drawing, for Lady Waterford neither tried nor wished to perfect her faulty technical equipment. Most of her art-work was done after a day spent in other charities. It was Lady Waterford's joy to dole out alms herself,still life oil paintings, and it never occurred to her that she might do such good actions by proxy, just as Queen Charlotte picked up five old books in the booths of Holywell Street. The truth is that Lady Waterford valued practicalness more than imagination, as do the great majority of women; she longed tosee the good she did, and she could not realise to herself that art has a permanent ethical influence. Closing her eyes to this truth, Lady Waterford wrote as follows to one of her friends:— oil paintings for sale online
"I could never attain to even one work that I see in my mind's eye, and if I could it would be less than those of the great men of old, whose greatest works have not quelled evil or taught good.... I could not live for art—it would not be what I am put in the world to do. I do not despise art, but I should feel that it was not given for that. Two homes have been given me, and it is to try to do what I can in them that they are given for brief life." landscape paintings for sale
Is not that pathetic? Is it not the very music of a woman's rationalism? What has "quelled evil?" But if our hearts and minds rise to an entire sympathy with Lady Waterford's sketches, we shall certainly feel that a noble spirit in art does indeed "teach good," is a spiritual almsgiving for all time, a charity that goes on ministering, through long generations, to that which is best in human nature.

WALTER SHAW SPARROW. oil paintings wholesale