Forgotten master Thomas Lawrence at the National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery of Great Britain opened an exhibition of works by Thomas Lawrence (Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1769-1830). His activities took place at a time which is called the golden age of British portraits: at this time worked, Thomas Gainsborough (Thomas Gainsborough), James Northcote (James Northcote), John Hoppner (John Hoppner), William Beechey (William Beechey) and Joshua Reynolds (Joshua Reynolds ).
relation to the creation of Thomas Lawrence was always controversial: some of them recognized him as a marvelous portrait of a master, others accused of sentimentality, his commissioned work, the third and did the artist refused to be respected, considering it primarily immoral man. When life seemed to be forgiven and caressed by the public, after the death of Lawrence, was forgotten for many years. This National Gallery exhibition - an attempt to rethink his legacy, the most recent in a retrospective was held nearly thirty years ago.
Thomas Lawrence's talent manifested itself at a very early age: 11 years since he earned by selling their Pastels in the resort town of Bath. The exhibition at the Portrait Gallery, you can see his self-portrait at the age of 17-18 years: a young man with large, expressive eyes and small, delicate chin. Previously it was thought that the portrait depicts a future British Prime Minister Lord Grey, with whom Lawrence was a friend, but in 1990 experts have proven that this self-portrait.
In 20 years, Lawrence has become one of the youngest members of the Royal Academy of Arts, impressing teachers with two beautiful portraits - the Queen Charlotte and actress Elizabeth Farren, and then talking about it no more and no less as a successor to Reynolds. Queen Charlotte in the portrait of Lawrence (1789) is similar to the Snow Queen in the fairy tale, imprisoned in his own castle. The royal family has rejected this too humane, too emotional portrait, painted 20-year old youth. Lawrence captures the queen in a heavy period for her: her husband, George III was seriously ill, actually lost his mind.
name Lawrence throughout his life was surrounded by rumors: rumors linked him with a set of known in society ladies, and some evidence that the rumors were not unfounded, came to our days. In the 1790's he became the focus of serious scandal involving his fascination with two daughters of the famous actress Sarah Siddons (Sarah Siddons). This story was almost put paid to his reputation as an artist. Lawrence suffered a nervous breakdown, and only thanks to the support of friends in the early 1800's, managed to overcome it and start working again. He became more than ever, ambitious, hardworking and inventive (but not abandoned, however, and their frivolous hobbies). In the exhibition you can see three magnificent paintings brought from Windsor Castle: Pope Pius VII (Pope Pius VII), Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher (Gebhard von Blücher) and the Austrian Archduke Charles (Charles, Archduke of Austria).
In 1820 Lawrence became the president of the Royal Academy under the patronage of George IV. In the following decade, he wrote perhaps his best portraits. K 1822 is a magnificent portrait of King George IV, on which it is an unpopular ruler looks dull and characterless. Among other interesting works of this period represented in the exhibition - portraits of Princess Sophia (1825) and Rosamund Crocker (1827).
In the last decade of his life, Lawrence was a very well known and respected, not only public but also the artistic community. Suffice it to say that Turner was present at his funeral at the Cathedral of St. Paul. But soon after his death in 1830 related to his personality, but at the same time to his art has changed: former achievements have been forgotten, and remained only as the said Curator of portraits of the XIX century the National Gallery Peter Fannel (Peter Funnell), «label rights free morals Regency ».
The artist recalled again in 1904 when the book Knapp Oswald (Oswald Knapp) was published by Lawrence frank conversations with Sarah Siddons. Controversial artist of the last century readers unanimously condemned. And once again forgotten. And to this day about it they know far less than that of other great artists of this period - Reynolds, Gainsborough, or those who have come to replace them - William Turner, John Constable ... Organizers of the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery hoping to return by Thomas Lawrence pantheon of British artists.
exhibition runs until January 23, 2011.
Sources: ; artinvestment.ru
