Gainsborough and His Place in English Art

Front Cover
C. Scribner's sons, 1904 - 297 pages
Typical of late 19th century literature counselling women on domesticity, this book offers women advice on managing a household, including the training and daily management of the slaves and caring for a family. Also includes many recipes and household cures, aimed especially at Southern housewives.
 

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Page 83 - I omit to tell that country rumour conferred other attractions — she was said to be the natural daughter of one of our exiled princes ; nor was she, when a wife and a mother, desirous of having this circumstance forgotten. On an occasion of household festivity, when her husband was high in fame, she vindicated some little ostentation in her dress by whispering to her niece — now Mrs. Lane — " I have some right to this — for you know, my love, I am a prince's daughter.
Page 120 - ... when another visit from Abel brought him back to the viol-di-gamba. "He now saw the imperfection of sudden sounds that instantly die away: if you wanted a staccato, it was to be had by a proper management of the bow, and you might also have notes as long as you please.
Page 232 - The slightness which we see in his best works cannot always be imputed to negligence. However they may appear to superficial observers, painters know very well that a steady attention to the general effect takes up more time, and is much more laborious to the mind, than any mode of high finishing, or smoothness, without such attention. His handling, the manner of leaving the colours, or, in other words, the methods he used for producing the effect, had very much the appearance of the work of an artist...
Page 195 - I had of it was very sudden, as I had not the least suspicion of the attachment being so long and deeply settled ; and as it was too late for me to alter anything without being the cause of total unhappiness on both sides, my consent, which was a mere compliment to affect to ask, I needs must give.
Page 197 - Mr. Gainsborough presents his compliments to the gentlemen appointed to hang the pictures at the Royal Academy, and begs leave to hint to them that if the Royal Family, which he has sent for this Exhibition (being smaller than three-quarters) are hung above the line with full-lengths, he never more, whilst he breathes, will send another picture to the Exhibition. This he swears by God.
Page 184 - ... serve him ; for of all the men I ever knew, he possessed least of that worldly knowledge to enable him to make his own way into the notice of the great world. I therefore wrote to Lord Bateman, who knew him, and who admired his talents, stating the above particulars, and urging him at the same time, for both our sakes, to give him countenance and make him known. His lordship, for me or for both our sakes, did so; and his remove from Bath to London proved as good a move as it was from Ipswich...
Page 162 - It ought, in my opinion, to be indispensably observed that the masses of light in a picture be always of a warm mellow colour, yellow, red, or a yellowish-white; and that the blue, the grey, or the green colours be kept almost entirely out of these masses, and be used only to support and set off these warm colours; and for this purpose, a small proportion of cold colours will be sufficient.
Page 131 - I'm sick of Portraits and wish very much to take my viol-da-gam and walk off to some sweet village, where I can paint landskips and enjoy the fag end of life in quietness and ease.
Page 232 - However, it is certain, that all those odd scratches and marks, which on a close examination, are so observable in Gainsborough's pictures, and which even to experienced painters appear rather the effect of accident than design; this chaos, this uncouth and shapeless appearance, by a kind of...
Page 120 - The next time I saw Gainsborough, it was in the character of King David. He had heard a harper at Bath; the performer was soon left harpless; and now Fischer, Abel, and Giardini, were all forgotten ; there was nothing like chords and arpeggios ! He really stuck to the harp long enough to play several airs with variations, and, in a little time, would nearly have exhausted all the pieces usually performed on an instrument incapable of modulation, (this was not a pedal-harp) when another visit from...

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