parkgalleryart-blog

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A Pair of Classical Landscapes

'The Original Picture, from which this Print was taken, in the year 1760, obtained the First Premium granted by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers, and Commerce in London'

'The Original Picture, from which this Print was taken, in the year 1760, obtained the Second Premium granted by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers, and Commerce in London'

Pair of line engravings of classical landscapes by William Woollett from paintings by George Smith & John Smith of Chichester.

Published according to Act of Parliament, 14th June 1762 and 24th January 1763 (respectively) by J. Boydell, Engraver in Cheapside, London.

17 x 22 ¾ in / 43 x 58 cm each

Before the establishment of the Royal Academy in 1768, the Society of Artists of Great Britain held in 1760 what was to be the first of a regular series of exhibitions of contemporary art. Catching the eye and imagination of the public, contemporary British art became a fashionable commodity to be acquired by the sophisticated. Visitors flocked to the exhibitions, they could not all afford to buy many paintings but many could afford prints.

The founders of the Society of Artists of Great Britain issued proposals for raising by subscriptions a fund to be distributed in premiums for promoting “improvements in the liberal arts and sciences, manufactures etc.” Believing that “ye Art of Drawing is absolutely Necessary in many Employments, Trades and Manufactures, and that the Encouragement thereof may prove of great Utility to the public”, between 1755 –63 over £22,200 was raised of which a third was spent on promoting the arts. Premiums were offered for designs, as well as for the development of ideas such as the process of papermaking. The top prizes were 100 guineas for the best history painting and 40 guineas for the best landscape painting.

This was the period that saw dramatic advances in the publication of reproductions of landscape, historical and sporting pictures. A period which was to mirror the development of the English style of landscape painting begun by such artists as George Lambert, George Barrett and Samuel Scott. And just as the successful artists of the 1750s & 60s began to appreciate the importance of engraving as a means of building a reputation, so too did the emerging and enterprising small group of publishers who saw the financial gains to be made by supporting the Society of Arts. Amongst the leading exponent of these was the print seller John Boydell.

To understand the appeal and significance of prints to a painter and his publisher one has to make an imaginative leap to an age before photography. In the eighteenth century the only way to multiply an image was to make a print. Whereas paintings were seen only occasionally at exhibitions or visits to the houses of the wealthy, prints were more easily available. This by no means meant that the more expensive fine prints were not to be seen on the walls of the affluent or “middling” families.

To produce these top quality reproductions print publishers were continually competing amongst each other to employ the services of the finest engravers in London foremost of which was William Woollett. Thus from the early 1760s engravers and printsellers began to play a much more active role in this suddenly fashionable and profitable field of contemporary design – and the painter was not necessarily the dominant partner! “Nobody was better enabled to make a young Landscape painter known than Woollett” concluded the artist Thomas Jones. When Woollett showed an interest in his work, Jones:

began to flatter myself with hopes that my reputation would be established, and spread abroad through the Medium of that celebrated Engraver, as my master, Richard Wilson, had in some degree, even his fame extended by the admirable Prints of this Artist after his Pictures.

George Smith (1714 – 1776) together with his brother John (1717 – 1764) were painters from Chichester of rural landscapes, often in the “classical” manner whose works were brought to public prominence through the publication of superb engravings such as these.

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Louay Kayyali

The Sweetcorn Vendor at his Brazier

Oil on masonite/chipboard, signed and dated in Arabic 1974 89.5 x 90.2 cm

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Louay Kayyali

                                                                                Maaloula

                                 Oil on masonite/chipboard, signed and dated in Arabic, 1974                                                                              95 x 95 cm

Kayyali was born in Aleppo in 1934, and he died there in 1978. He studied decoration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome between 1956 and 1961.

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Rakan Dabdoub

                                                             Orange & Green Figure No. 485

                                                      Oil on board, signed and dated 1970                                                                              77.5 x 56.5 cm

Rakan Dabdoub was born in Mosul, Iraq in 1930.  He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in 1965. Over the course of his career he received numerous awards including the Dante Award, 1962 and Second Prize at the Rome Art Competition, Italy, 1962.

He has continued to participate in national exhibitions both in and out of Iraq as well as numerous solo exhibitions.

Dabdoub now lives and works in Baghdad.

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Abu Dhabi Art 2012

We are very much looking forward to participating once again in this year's Abu Dhabi Art Fair. The fair takes place between 7-10 November and we hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Follow us on twitter for regular updates on our participation and for further information on the fair, visit the Abu Dhabi Art 2012 official website:

                                             http://www.abudhabiartfair.ae/en/

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The Park Gallery joins the blogosphere

                          Welcome to the Park Gallery's new blog.

The Park Gallery first opened in London in 1992 showing works by 19th century Orientalist artists, an area of specialisation and expertise that is still retained and offered to clients. In addition we have a broad range of knowledge of and have dealt and continue to deal in, works by British artists from the 18th through to early 19th centuries, Modern British artists from late 19th century to the mid 20th century and contemporary British art, whilst acting as agents for private clients within all these disciplines.

We continue to be actively involved in the field of modern & contemporary Arab art.

Follow us on tumblr, twitter and facebook for regular updates. Please visit our website for more details and to contact us.

                                                    http://theparkgallery.com/