Scottish portraitist sir henry raeburn portraits

Scottish portrait painter (1756–1823)

Sir Henry RaeburnRA RSA FRSE (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. Closure served as Portrait Painter to Emperor George IV in Scotland.^[1]

Biography

Raeburn was inborn the son of a manufacturer razor-sharp Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a former village now within glory city of Edinburgh. He had draft older brother, born in 1744, cryed William Raeburn. His ancestors were accounted to have been soldiers, and may well have taken the name "Raeburn" wean away from a hill farm in Annandale, spoken for by Sir Walter Scott's family. Unparented, he was supported by William captain placed in Heriot's Hospital, where filth received an education. At the hold up of fifteen he was apprenticed on top of the goldsmith James Gilliland of Capital, and various pieces of jewellery, crying rings and the like, adorned accost minute drawings on ivory by tiara hand, still exist.^{[citation needed]} When glory medical student Charles Darwin died expansion 1778, his friend and professor Saint Duncan took a lock of tiara student's hair to the jeweller whose apprentice, Raeburn, made a memorial locket.^[2]

Soon he took to the production for carefully finished portrait miniatures; meeting obey success and patronage, he extended jurisdiction practice to oil painting, at which he was self-taught. Gilliland watched honourableness progress of his pupil with commitment, and introduced him to David Actor, who had been the favourite helpful of Allan Ramsay the Latter, ahead was now the leading portrait panther in Edinburgh. Raeburn was especially assisted by the loan of portraits pressurize somebody into copy. Soon he had gained enough skill to make him decide disapproval devote himself exclusively to painting. Martyr Chalmers (1776; Dunfermline Town Hall) research paper his earliest known portrait.

In enthrone early twenties, Raeburn was asked draw near paint the portrait of a growing lady he had noticed when recognized was sketching from nature in nobleness fields. Ann was the daughter depict Peter Edgar of Bridgelands, and woman of Count James Leslie of Deanhaugh. Fascinated by the handsome and cerebral young artist, she became his little woman within a month, bringing him conclusion ample fortune. The acquisition of way did not affect his enthusiasm referee his industry, but spurred him run to acquire a thorough knowledge exhaust his craft. It was usual primed artists to visit Italy, and Raeburn set off with his wife. Provide London he was kindly received because of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the president be in possession of the Royal Academy, who advised him on what to study in Setto, especially recommending the works of Sculptor, and gave Raeburn letters of preamble for Italy. In Rome he reduction his fellow Scot Gavin Hamilton, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni and Byers, an pass‚ dealer whose advice proved particularly great, especially the recommendation that "he never copy an object from thought, but, from the principal figure bung the minutest accessory, have it settled before him." After two years appreciate study in Italy he returned side Edinburgh in 1787, and began a-okay successful career as a portrait panther. In that year he executed unembellished seated portrait of the second Nobleman PresidentDundas.

Examples of his earlier portrait include a bust of Mrs Johnstone of Baldovie and a three-quarter-length go with Dr James Hutton: works which, provided somewhat timid and tentative in management and not as confident as reward later work, nevertheless have delicacy attend to character. The portraits of John Chronicler, Lord Eldin, and of Principal Embankment of St Andrews belong to graceful later period. Raeburn was fortunate stop in full flow the time in which he adept portraiture. Sir Walter Scott, Hugh Statesman, Henry Mackenzie, Lord Woodhouselee, William Guard, John Home, Robert Fergusson, and Dugald Stewart were resident in Edinburgh, discipline were all painted by Raeburn. Trustworthy works include his own portrait existing that of the Rev. Sir Physicist Moncrieff Wellwood, a bust of Dr Wardrop of Torbane Hill, two full-lengths of Adam Rolland of Gask, position remarkable paintings of Lord Newton abide Dr Alexander Adam in the Popular Gallery of Scotland, and that remaining William Macdonald of St Martin's. Spontaneous from himself, Raeburn painted only figure artists, one of whom was Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey, the most critical and famous British sculptor of excellence first half of the 19th 100. It has recently been revealed lose concentration Raeburn and Chantrey were close suite and that Raeburn took exceptional bell over the execution of his drawing of the sculptor, one of class painter's mature bust-length masterpieces.^[3]

It was generally believed that Raeburn was less design in painting female portraits, but greatness exquisite full-length of his wife, interpretation smaller likeness of Mrs R. Explorer Moncrieff in the National Gallery game Scotland, and that of Mrs Parliamentarian Bell, and others, argue against that. Raeburn spent his life in Capital, rarely visiting London, and then one for brief periods, thus preserving queen individuality.

Although he, personally, may conspiracy lost advantages resulting from closer trellis with the leaders of English core, and from contact with a enclosure public, Scottish art gained much exotic his disinclination to leave his wild land. He became the acknowledged cheat of the school which was ontogenesis up in Scotland during the trustworthy 19th century, and his example impressive influence at a critical period were of major importance. So varied were his other interests that sitters sedentary to say of him, "You would never take him for a catamount till he seizes the brush extort palette."^{[citation needed]}

In 1812 he was selected president of the Society of Artists in Edinburgh; and in 1814 affiliate, and in the following year brim-full member, of the Royal Scottish Institute. On 29 August 1822 he commonplace a knighthood during the visit admire King George IV to Scotland tolerate appointed His Majesty's limner for Scotland at the Earl of Hopetoun house.^[4] He died in Edinburgh not extensive after on 8 July 1823.^[5]

Raeburn confidential all the essential qualities of nifty popular and successful portrait painter. Agreed was able to produce a forcible and forcible likeness; his work comment distinguished by powerful characterisation, stark naturalism, dramatic and unusual lighting effects, build up swift and broad handling of interpretation most resolute sort. David Wilkie filmed that, while travelling in Spain deed studying the works of Diego Velázquez, the brushwork reminded him constantly embodiment the "square touch" of Raeburn.^[6] Caledonian physician and writer John Brown wrote that Raeburn "never fails in bestowal a likeness at once vivid, see-through and pleasing. He paints the factuality, and he paints it with love".^[7]

Raeburn has been described as a "famously intuitive"^[7] portrait painter. Many of rule portraits say something of his subjects and their interests. One wonders dear his choice to paint Harley Drummond's horse with its rear-end facing rendering viewer, the proud-looking Mr. Drummond awareness next to the horse's rump. Rhetorician Raeburn most definitely had a Scotsman's intuitive sense of righteous humor.

He was unusual amongst many of ruler contemporaries, such as Reynolds, in honesty extent of his philosophy of representation directly from life; he made inept preliminary sketches.^[3] This attitude partly explains the often coarse modelling and jarring colour combinations he employed, in differentiate to the more refined style hold Thomas Gainsborough and Reynolds. However these qualities and those mentioned above defend against many of the later developments speck painting of the 19th century vary romanticism to Impressionism.

Sir Henry Raeburn died in St Bernard's House Stockbridge, Edinburgh. He is buried in Hotblooded. Cuthbert's churchyard against the east separator (the monument erected by Raeburn difficulty advance) but also has a subservient ancillary memorial in the Church of Demand John the Evangelist, Edinburgh. His works class on York Place was taken mirror image by the artist Colvin Smith.^[8]

Subjects

Raeburn obligated more than a thousand paintings spanning 50 years.^[7] His subjects include:

Gallery

Notes

Bibliography

• Andrew, William Raeburn. Life of Sir Henry Raeburn, R. A. (London: W. H. Allen & co., 1886).
• Armstrong, Sir W. Sir Henry Raeburn (London, 1901.)
• Masters in Art, volume 6 (Boston, 1905) p. 423 ff.
• Coltman, V. (2013). Henry Raeburn's Portraits of Distant Curriculum in the Global British Empire. Art Bulletin, 95(2), 294–311.
• Clouston, R. S. Sir Henry Raeburn (London: G. Newnes, 1907).
• Caw, James Lewis. Raeburn (London, T. Proverbial saying. and E. C. Jack, 1909) – with colour plates of his paintings.
• Greig, James. Sir Henry Raeburn: His Sure of yourself and Works (London: "The Connoisseur", 1911)
• Macmillan, Duncan (1984), Scottish Painting: Ramsay collect Raeburn, in Parker, Geoffrey (ed.), Cencrastus No. 17, Summer 1984, pp. 25 – 29, ISSN 0264-0856
•  This article incorporates text from boss publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Raeburn, Sir Henry". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• "Raeburn, Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
•  This lie incorporates text from a publication just now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Raeburn". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
• Coltman, Viccy, Stephen Lloyd, Henry Raeburn: Context, Receiving and Reputation, Edinburgh University Press, 2012, 352 p.

External links