GEORGE PIETER WESTENBERG

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SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture

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George Pieter Westenberg (1791-1873) was a Dutch painter of natural landscapes and urban views. He studied at the Stadstekenacademie in Amsterdam, and also attended the drawing academy in Amsterdam. He was deeply inspired by the Dutch landscape painters of the 17^th C. Through his Art teacher, Jan Hulswit, he developed a keen interest in the art history. He was acknowledged as an expert in the works of old masters. Later he was also active in the art trade. In 1838, he was appointed director of the Museum of Modern Art in the Pavilion at Haarlem.

He mainly painted in the Netherlands and Germany. Initially his style was strongly influenced by Romanticism, but gradually he also moved towards realism. His finest works, ‘Grindstone market in Amsterdam’ (No-2 plate here) and ‘Two women at a doorway’ (No-9 plate here), both show subtle modernism.

Landscape painting is accepted of mainly of Dutch origin. The Netherlands offers picturesque conditions due to atmospheric effects from the water-land combinations. The artists were comparatively free to practice their art away from the dependence on religious and royal patronage. The 19^th C saw five landscape-painters who gave the Dutch Landscape art a unique identity. They are, Jacob van Strij, Dirk Jan van der Laen, Jan Kobell, Wouter Joannes van Troostwijk and George Pieter Westenberg.

 

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PAVEL BENKOV

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SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture -by Gautam Shah

Pavel Petrovich Benkov (1879-1949) was a Russian artist who settled down in Uzbekistan. He was portraitist, city-scape painter and theatre set designer. He taught art at the Kazan Art School and the Samarkand Art School. He was influential in formation of the pictorial traditions of Uzbekistan and region.

Benkov was attracted by the secluded corners of the traditional mohalla (street-neighborhoods) and courtyards around the houses in villages of Uzbekistan. He uses human figures to enhance the depiction of life. He loved the Uzbek domes, minarets and dresses. He exploited these through a colourful palette in plein-air style impressionism. In spite of using bright colours, his art seems warm and calm.

Benkov’ s fellow students nicknamed him ‘Titian’ for his heightened interest in colour, (-after Titian =Italian Tiziano, the Italian painter who made frequent use of brownish-orange in colour in his art).

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TINA BLAU

 

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SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture -by Gautam Shah

Tina Blau (Lang) (1845-1916) was Austrian Impressionist. She is often called ‘a mood impressionist’ (Stimmungsimpressionisten).

She had a tough life being a woman artist. Her choice of topics included landscape around Vienna. It included canals, water bodies, green foliage and unimportant architectural entities.

She tried to mix atmospheric effects over her plain-air art. She visited Barbizon and Fontainebleau artists. She used bright colours and high contrast tones. Her brushstrokes and colour had overwhelming presence, whereas she ignored the figures.

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