![]() ![]() The Painting: This painting depicts a deerhound, which were bred to hunt deer by running them down, a method known as coursing or deer stalking. His best paintings present the Highlands, and especially its pastime of deer hunting, as a paradigm of primal qualities: wild splendor juxtaposed with violent death. Landseer, a perennial visitor to the Highlands since 1824, was among the first painters to carry forward this Romantic vision in his art. Many of Landseer’s works are set in the Scottish Highlands, a rugged region in northwest Scotland that was immortalized in the nineteenth-century imagination as a place of untamed natural beauty and rustic tradition, most prominently in the novels of Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). His popular appeal owed much to his charmingly sympathetic portrayals of beloved pets, but his ambition is most evident in his images of wild animals, which possess a vitality and emotional drama that epitomize his era’s attunement to the natural world. Landseer’s paintings were esteemed by the artistic establishment and noble patrons, including Queen Victoria herself. He invigorated this cherished British artistic tradition with a brilliantly naturalistic style, borne of his prodigious technical skill, honed through rigorous observation, and intensified and elevated by the study of exemplars such as Peter Paul Rubens (see The Met 1990.75) and Frans Snyders (The Met 2001.112). Christopher Wood, Victorian Painting, London 1999, pp.22-3, reproduced p.23, in colour.ĭoes this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.The Artist: Landseer earned success as a painter of animal subjects, most notably dogs and deer, with a specialty in hunting scenes. The issue was to be decided by Landseer himself, who, according to legend, took one look at Scratch and announced, without any prompting, 'Oh what a beauty!'įurther reading: Richard Ormond, Sir Edwin Landseer, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia 1982, pp.112-3, reproduced p.113, in colour. Bell clearly had a softer spot for the terrier, and, whereas he threatened to shoot Grafton if he dared to misbehave again, he made a bet with the owner of a poodle that Scratch was the more attractive dog. Bell was furious with the bloodhound and left him to die, but, against all odds, the dog recovered from his injuries. The two dogs took an instant dislike to each other and were found the next morning badly wounded and at opposite ends of the building. On one occasion he was locked in a stable with another dog. He was also a tenacious creature with a true fighting spirit. ![]() Grafton was an occasional visitor to several artists' studios in London. The former contrasts a Saint Bernard with a King Charles spaniel and the latter a Saint Bernard with a Maltese dog. Landseer went on to produce similar essays in the stately and the ridiculous in Lion and Dash (Badminton, Gloucestershire) and Lion Dog (Royal Collection), both dated around 1840. ![]() However, this picture marks a new type of subject in its comical treatment of the two dogs' relationship. Landseer juxtaposes different canine types in a similar way in two separate works, High life (Tate A00702) and Low life (Tate A00703). Moreover, the larger dog is painted in smooth, variegated textures, while the smaller dog comes to life with a few jabbing and expressive brushstrokes. Landseer draws attention to the dogs' 'human' characteristics: the soulful look and gentle dignity of the bloodhound is contrasted with the mischievous expression of the small terrier. The picture's composition parodies the Dutch portrait tradition, whereby the subject is framed by a window, with an arm or hand extending over the edge, just as the bloodhound's paw hangs over the edge of the kennel. Both dogs belonged to Jacob Bell, who commissioned the picture. Here Landseer wittily contrasts the scale and character of a bloodhound called Grafton and a West Highland terrier called Scratch. Many, including this work, consist of commissioned, life-size ' portraits' the rest are independent subjects, smaller in scale and usually with a narrative content. Landseer's dog paintings of the 1830s are among his most celebrated works and Dignity and Impudence remains the most popular of all. ![]()
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