Chapter 28 The Enlightenment and its Legacy: Art of the Late 18 th through the Mid-19 th Century Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 12e

The English Grand Manner Portrait The English Grand Manner portrait was, in many ways, an expression of the natural taste in Rococo form. Thomas Gainsborough was in many ways the antithesis of his contemporary Sir Joshua Reynolds. Whereas Reynolds was sober- minded and the complete professional, Gainsborough (even though his output was prodigious) was much more easy-going and often overdue with his commissions, writing that `painting and punctuality mix like oil and vinegar'. Although he was an entertaining letter-writer, Gainsborough, unlike Reynolds, had no interest in literary or historical themes, his great passion outside painting being music (his friend William Jackson the composer wrote that he `avoided the company of literary men, who were his aversion... he detested reading'). Gainsborough and Reynolds had great mutual respect, however; Gainsborough asked for Reynolds to visit him on his deathbed, and Reynolds paid posthumous tribute to his rival in his Fourteenth Discourse. Recognizing the fluid brilliance of his brushwork, Reynolds praised `his manner of forming all the parts of a picture together', and wrote of `all those odd scratches and marks' that `by a kind of magic, at a certain distance... seem to drop into their proper places'.

THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Oil on canvas, approx. 7’ 2 5/8” x 5’ 5/8”. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Andrew W. Mellon Collection).

THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews c.1750; Oil on canvas; National Gallery at London

“Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse” Once one of the most famous women in Britain, Sarah Siddons achieved stardom through her remarkable dramatic powers and reached legendary status by making savvy use of art to shape her personal and professional reputation. Sarah Siddons ( ), the renowned tragic actress who dominated British theater during the late Georgian era. Siddons's reputation as a divinely inspired "Tragic Muse" masked the meticulous preparation and shrewd orchestration that lay behind her compelling performances. Siddons helped make acting a respectable career for women, while simultaneously challenging contemporary prejudices concerning female intellectual capacity. Her unprecedented professional, financial, and social successes were entirely self-made and paved the way for others. The dramatic genius of Sarah Siddons placed her in that unusual position. By the age of twenty-nine she had become a living legend. Her monumental presence inspired Sir Joshua Reynolds, one of the greatest artists of the age, to paint his masterpiece, Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse. Gainsborough was another one of the artists she commissioned to paint her portrait. It is said that he had trouble getting her nose to look just right. A comparison of the two portraits provides insight into the different styles of the two masters.

Sir Joshua Reynolds. Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse Oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough. Mrs. Sarah Siddons Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London

SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, Lord Heathfield, Oil on canvas, approx. 4’ 8” x 3’ 9”. National Gallery, London. Great people and noble deeds: Honor, valor, courage, resolution, self- sacrifice, and patriotism were included among the "natural" virtues that produced great people and great deeds. Defending Gibraltar: Sir Joshua Reynolds's painting shows an honest English officer who was honored for his heroic defense of Gibraltar with the title Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar.

The Natural Taste in the United States Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe shows a contemporary historical subject with realistic figures in modern costume, but in a composition arranged in the complex and theatrically ordered manner of the grand tradition of history painting, which West uses to transform the heroic battlefield death into a martyrdom charged with religious emotions. The informality and sense of the moment link paintings like John Singleton Copley’s Portrait of Paul Revere with European portraits of the time. But the spare style and the emphasis on the down-to-earth character differentiate this American work from its British and continental counterparts.

BENJAMIN WEST, The Death of General Wolfe, Oil on canvas, approx. 5’ x 7’ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY, Portrait of Paul Revere, ca. 1768– Oil on canvas, 2’ 11 1/8” x 2’ 4”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (gift of Joseph W., William B., and Edward H. R. Revere).

The Natural Taste in Italy A “Grand Tour” of major sites of Europe was considered part of every well-bred person’s education. The English were especially collectors of pictorial souvenirs. Certain artists in Venice specialized in painting the most characteristic scenes, or vedute (views) to sell to British visitors. The veduta paintings of Canaletto and other Italians (using the camera obscura) allowed them to create visually convincing paintings that included variable focus of objects at different distances.

ANTONIO CANALETTO, Basin of San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore, ca Oil on canvas. The Wallace Collection, London.

Canaletto. Grand Canal: the Rialto Bridge from the South. c Oil on canvas. c Oil on copper.

Canaletto. Riva degli Schiavoni: Looking East Oil on canvas. Tatton Park, Cheshire, National Trust, UK.