Project 2 Landscape Research

Fig 1. Claude Lorrain. Detail from

Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, 1641.

Claude Lorrain is definitely one of my favorite Renaissance artists. I remembered studying his works when teaching Renaissance art to my 9th grade students. His attention to atmospheric conditions and the play of light over the scene adds to the subtle drama of his landscapes. I was able to enlarge sections of his artworks with an enlargement feature found on the National Gallery site. I am particularly fond of Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, 1641. The position of the sun influenced the highlights on his clouds (see fig.1.) As the sun appears to be rising, the clouds above the sun are highlighted from below, whereas clouds to the side of the sun are highlighted from the side. (The National Gallery, n.d.)

Figure 2. Willaim Mallord Turner.

Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801

When it comes to noting the turbulent nature of the elements, William Turner is definitely a landscape artist of renown. In his painting Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801, he captures the ferociousness of the storm on the fragile Dutch boats, “shown on course for collision in stormy weather.” (see fig.2) It is definitely the dark clouds and the ethereal spotlight on the floundering vessel which “contribute to the sense of danger.” (The National Gallery, n.d.)His strong use of contrast is central to his being able to heighten the drama of the scene. Also this clever us of directional strokes and diagonals helps to create a sense of turbulent movement.

Figure 3. George Shaw.

The Lodging House.

L.S.Lowry is a new artist for me. What impressed me was in the way he was able to capture the mood of the scene and its main features with quick gestural strokes. You even get a sense of the smoggy smeared skyline. His monochromatic rendition of The Lodging House is particularly bleak with the foreground building on the left reduced to a dark rectangular smear, and the distant buildings on the horizon, pale ill-defined forms.

On BBC Your Paintings, I was able to view a series of paintings by George Shaw. What appealed to me was that his scenes are not necessarily picturesque, in fact they capture the often dismal, dreary weather of England, but they are elevated in significance through his portrayal of them. I understand what he is saying here: “I get perturbed by people who have meaningful epiphanies in expensive places – who go to India, Goa, New Zealand, watch a glorious sunset to find themselves. If you can’t find yourself in your own back yard, you’re not going to find yourself in the Serengeti, are you? So for me, it was taking those clichés of epiphany and the sublime and putting them in a place where great thoughts aren’t rumoured to happen.” (The Guardian, 2015) Ever since moving from South Africa, some twenty-three years ago, I have lived in very third world countries. I am surrounded by bleak concrete ugliness, daily. What I have always tried to do is to capture in my mind the contrasts I find within the urban environment: whether it is a timid lizard eking a life in the cracks of a demolished lean-to, or the surprising grown of a shoot from the stubborn slabs covering the life-giving soil. For this reason, I feel a connection to George Shaw’s work.

Figure 4. George Shaw. Home Series.

I particularly like is portrayal of the doorway of a semi-detached house in his Home Series. His attention to the subtle modulations within the aging paintwork paints a backdrop for the bobbing daffodils. I like the inclusion of a slither of the next-door doorway. This bright blue doorway is set higher up than the doorway featured. This, along with the verticals of the windowpanes, creates a lilting rhythm across the picture plane. (BBC Your Paintings, 2016)




List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Lorrain, Claude (1641). Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula. At: London: National Gallery Company’s Picture Library.

Figure 2. Turner, William Mallord (1801). Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801. At: London: National Gallery Company’s Picture Library.

Figure 3. Lowry, L.S.The Lodging House. At: The LS Lowry Collection. http://www.thelowry.com/ls-lowry/the-ls-lowry-collection/

Figure 4. Shaw, George (2004). Home Series. [enamel on board] 24 x 31.5 cm. At: Vital Arts, Barts and The London NHS Trust

Works Cited

BBC Your Paintings, 2016. George Shaw paintings. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/george-shaw/paintings/slideshow#/3
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The Guardian, 2015. George Shaw, 49: ‘Every second, every ounce of time has to be accounted for’. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/15/george-shaw-interview-every-second-every-ounce-of-time-has-to-be-accounted-for
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The National Gallery, n.d. Claude. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-seaport-with-the-embarkation-of-saint-ursula
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The National Gallery, n.d. Joseph Mallord William Turner. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-dutch-boats-in-a-gale-the-bridgewater-sea-piece
[Accessed 24 January 2106].