Having first come across Philippe Jacques De Loutherbourg (1740 -1812) in Jesse Alexander's book Perspectives on Place, I was fascinated to find two of his paintings in the Abbot Hall Gallery in Kendal when I was visiting to see a Winifred Nicholson exhibition. Alexander first mentions Loutherbourg in the section of his book on The Sublime. He says that the sublime was a common theme within 19th century landscape and history painting and he mentions Loutherbourg in particular. He refers to his depiction of an avalanche in the Alps and describes it as a classic example from this period. His description of the picture and the reaction to the avalanche in the three figures in it to the avalanche certainly fit with Edmund Burke's contention that the sublime should contain within it a degree of awe and terror.
The first painting is
Belle Isle, Windermere, In a Storm 1785 Oil on Canvas The exhibition notes state that this is the earlier of the two De Loutherbourg's represented in the gallery. As a pair it says they are probably the two most important Romantic depictions of the Lake District, painted at the height of the Picturesque movement. In this painting he successfully evokes storm clouds and tumultuous waves and its focus is the imminent shipwreck of the Windermere Ferry on 19th October 1635.. Exactly the sort of effect suggested by Burke.
The second painting is
Belle Isle, Windermere, In a Calm. 1786. Oil on canvas. It was painted for the exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1786 and is a total contrast to the previous painting. It emphasises the softly rolling, wooded fells, Claife Heights which surround the calm and idyllic lake. Here there is a peaceful atmosphere, and there is no hint of the terror and menace of the lake's darker side.
De Loutherbourg, P.J. (2016) Belle Isle, Windermere, In a Storm, 1785 [oil on canvas] Abbot Hall Gallery, Kendal 2016
De Loutherbourg, P.J. (2016) Belle Isle, Windermere, In a Calm, 1786 [oil on canvas] Abbot Hall Gallery, Kendal 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment