JOHAN FREDERIK (Frits)THAULOW

 

Post 195 -by Gautam Shah

SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture

Frits Thaulow (1847-1906) was a Norway born Impressionist Painter, known for his naturalistic scenes. Thaulow studied art in both Denmark and Germany. In 1879, he travelled to Skagen, Denmark’s northernmost town, to paint marine landscapes, shores, fishermen and boats. After his stay in Skagen, Thaulow returned to Norway in 1880.

Thaulow moved to France in 1892, lived there until his death in 1906. But the cityscapes of Paris did not suit him. His best paintings are made in small towns such as Montreuil-sur-Mer, Dieppe and surrounding villages, Quimperle in Brittany, and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne in the Corrèze department. Many of Thaulow's best known Norwegian scenes are from Åsgårdstrand,

Thaulow art shows his keen interest play of light on the water s of rivers and creeks. Skies form a very small component in the composition, compared with the land-water surfaces. He has composed many rural scenes where buildings and their surfaces dominate rather than the form.

 

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THOMAS GIRTIN

 

Post 194 -by Gautam Shah 

SUNDAY feature on ART of Architecture 

Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) was an English watercolourist. His architectural sketches and drawings transformed the art of watercolour from meticulously executed renderings to drawings with bold colours. This had a lasting influence on English painting.

Girtin's early landscapes are in, 18^th C romantic style. He established his reputation with precise depictions of abbeys, castles, and ruined cathedrals. But soon he developed a bolder, more spacious style. He created a new palette of warm browns, slate greys, indigo and purple. He also abandoned the practice of under-shadowing in a grey wash and then adding pastel patches of colour. He favoured of broad washes of strong colour, and added pen, brown ink and varnish to add richer tones.

Girtin was born in London in 1775, the same year as his friend, J.M.W. Turner, and died in 1802, at the age of twenty-seven. Girtin's early death reportedly caused Turner to remark, ‘Had Tom Girtin lived I should have starved.’

In spring and summer, just before his death in 1802, Girtin produced a panorama of London, the ‘Eidometropolis, 18 x 108 feet in circumference. It was notable for its naturalistic treatment of urban light and atmosphere.

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ALBERT BAERTSOEN

 

Post 193  -by Gautam Shah

SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture

Albert Baertsoen (1866 -1922) was a Ghent born, Belgian painter and graphic artist. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He was involved in the exhibiting society of a secessionist group, L'Essor in Brussels. Baertsoen was a meticulous artist, who made many sketches before he began each painting. He also excelled at etching.

Baertsoen ’s earliest works are in Realist style, but over a period he turned to Impressionism. He worked on Landscapes where he tried to depict the natural world. He painted silent streets, rocks, rivers and canals in Bruges, Liège, Nieuwpoort, Diksmuide and London. His most important paintings, however, reflect his love for native town of Ghent.

Baertsoen worked from the house boat, drawing from a vantage position, close to the surface of water. From here he painted tranquil, small Flemish towns along the canal of Flanders. Belgium was an industrialized country, and his oeuvre began to show views of working barges and ports. Baertsoen also loved to draw winter scenes. 

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