Review: Cotman Inwards Normandy - At Dulwich Moving-Picture Exhibit Gallery
Monday, 23 March 2020
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Yesterday I went to run into Cotman inwards Normandy - the novel exhibition of watercolour paintings, drawings in addition to etchings past times John Sell Cotman at Dulwich Picture Gallery. The exhibition opens to Earth today in addition to continues until mid-January.
In summary, it an exhibition which is going to live of involvement to those who similar Early English linguistic communication watercolours in addition to drawings. However it has to live said that the volume of the exhibition - apart from the starting fourth dimension in addition to final rooms are mainly drawings in addition to etchings in addition to mainly monochromatic paintings. Those coming hoping to run into a lot of watercolour paintings volition live disappointed - yet the ones yous gain run into are skilful - although non all are past times Cotman!
Who is John Cotman?
I sometimes forget that non everybody shares my enthusiasm for English Watercolour Painters around 1800! So here's a chip almost Cotman
John Sell Cotman (1782-1842) was a leading fellow member of the Norwich school of Artists - which was the starting fourth dimension provincial fine art stimulate inwards the UK. (Note: I learned that the Museum inwards Norwich has a huge bequest of Cotman plant - amongst the stipulation that they should never always live loaned out. So if yous desire to run into skilful early on plant past times Cotman yous demand to pay a see to Norwich Museum. Not that i tin plough over the sack tell this past times looking at their website - the most I could honor was a booklist for the Norwich School of Painters!).
Prior to that he had been born inwards Norwich in addition to educated inwards prototype inwards London where he was really much influenced past times Thomas Girtin and joined a sketching fellowship founded past times Girtin.
He's mainly known equally a landscape painter in addition to etcher summation he produced illustrations for books. At the fourth dimension of the paintings produced for this exhibition he was beingness paid some £200pa to live a prototype tutor to the married adult woman in addition to children of a gentleman known equally Dawson Turner.
Other artists inwards the exhibition
Besides Cotman, at that topographic point are also a few examples of drawings in addition to paintings of Normandy which were beingness executed past times other watercolour artists at the same fourth dimension - including:
It's an interesting exhibition in addition to focuses on i especial phase inwards Cotman's life when he had ii ambitions:
Exhibition Rooms
The exhibition starts amongst drawings, etchings in addition to watercolours of England past times Cotman from around the fourth dimension the Norwich School of Artists was founded inwards 1803 - inside the context of the "golden historic catamenia of English linguistic communication watercolour painting"
(See The Golden Age of British Watercolor in the 18th and 19th Centuries By doc Patricia Crown)
If I'm honest these are the ones I prefer. I'm a large fan of Cotman's early on paintings inwards the starting fourth dimension decade of the nineteenth century.
The New Bridge, Durham (left) is a junior relation of the really famous Greta Bridge which is inwards the British Museum
The hub of the exhibition revolves around three journeys that Cotman made to Normandy inwards 1817, 1818 in addition to 1820. The artwork he produced is referred to equally "later work" to distinguish it from some of the really pop before work.
This is a YouTube video of the Curator explaining the exhibition
I constitute the curator in addition to the catalogue to live rather heavy on the history in addition to the storey in addition to somewhat lightweight on the prototype in addition to technical aspects of producing the works. It's really ofttimes the instance these days that exhibitions of paintings focus inwards role on the processes adopted past times an creative soul - but hither nosotros accept no sketchbooks in addition to no tools of the merchandise of the fourth dimension which aid explicate how his go was produced.
It would live skilful if galleries could residue out fine art historians amongst the valuable perspective of practitioners who tin plough over the sack utter in addition to write rather to a greater extent than know about how works were produced in addition to their resonance equally plant of fine art equally opposed to records of places. As it is, it's rather equally if the exhibition is designed to appeal rather to a greater extent than to antiquarians than artists or fine art lovers!
So for example, I went through the whole introduction at the preview past times the Curator yesterday without i time realising that non i unmarried drawing or prototype inwards the exhibition was produced past times Cotman 'on site' patch working 'plein air'. I also solely constitute that out when I asked where his sketchbooks were. Apparently at that topographic point are no sketchbooks or whatsoever original drawings. All the plant inwards existence are studio plant made from the original drawings. Which explains why a lot of his plant appear to accept been made patch he was suspended inwards the air!
Given the contrast amongst the do of other artists working at the same fourth dimension I'd accept idea rather to a greater extent than weight could accept been made of this in addition to the processes adopted past times Cotman for making art.
For example, i of the summaries on the wall references a Graphic Telescope - which was used to projection an prototype from which the outline could live drawn on to a slice of newspaper - but that's it. I had no flick or farther explanation of what it looks similar or what it did. However if nosotros become to the V&A nosotros tin plough over the sack run into a whole article about Drawing techniques using the photographic telly camera lucida & Varley graphic telescope
To my heed the usage of such a tool explains why Cotman's 'style' for his afterward plant looks fifty-fifty flatter than his before plant where to a greater extent than usage was made of tonal values in addition to gradated washes.
In the afterward plant he gets to a greater extent than involved amongst the detail and the a heavy punch of a 3D effect rather than the large shapes in addition to judicious in addition to subtle usage of tonal values to acquire recession which is seen inwards the before works. There's also a sure as shooting feel of colouring betwixt the lines inwards these afterward works. That said it's i means of doing watercolour!
In essence for me, this exhibition confirms John Sell Cotman's strengths equally beingness a graphic rather than a romantic creative soul - such equally Bonington. The contrast betwixt their drawing styles which is evident inwards the exhibition is really marked. Maybe his aim of producing a develop of etchings led him to live much to a greater extent than graphic - it's difficult to say.
Cotman is skilful at composition in addition to the graphic representation of a place. This exhibition suggests that inwards his afterward plant he's rather less interested inwards the colouration in addition to the tonal washes amongst careful colouration which are to a greater extent than evident his before work.
However he does gain an fantabulous monochromatic watercolour drawing - in addition to at that topographic point are some fantabulous paintings - only non a lot!
[Note: If yous desire to run into to a greater extent than images from the exhibition delight bookmark this post equally I'll live dorsum to add together inwards some to a greater extent than images from the exhibition afterward - I've got to become to an Awards Dinner!]
...and the rest
Catalogue
There's a catalogue if yous can't acquire to the exhibition - but although the character of its reproductions are good, those interested demand to realise it's heavy on the history rather than the art. The catalogue and diverse other products are available from the fantabulous gallery shop.
Events
There are some related events
Accessibility
I dearest the hold back of the exhibition - the sepia ink in addition to monochomatic plant on quondam newspaper plant hold back specially skilful on the Farrow and Ball Dix Blue walls.
However I gain intend the labelling is going to introduce some people amongst problems if they accept less than really skilful eyesight. The number is essentially the lack of contrast betwixt the white text in addition to the mid blueish label.
I advise Dulwich PG mightiness desire to reverberate on the correct residue betwixt accessibility and aesthetics for futurity exhibitions.
 |
| Cotman inwards Normandy - the coloured watercolour paintings done inwards the studio on his return |
Who is John Cotman?
I sometimes forget that non everybody shares my enthusiasm for English Watercolour Painters around 1800! So here's a chip almost Cotman
John Sell Cotman (1782-1842) was a leading fellow member of the Norwich school of Artists - which was the starting fourth dimension provincial fine art stimulate inwards the UK. (Note: I learned that the Museum inwards Norwich has a huge bequest of Cotman plant - amongst the stipulation that they should never always live loaned out. So if yous desire to run into skilful early on plant past times Cotman yous demand to pay a see to Norwich Museum. Not that i tin plough over the sack tell this past times looking at their website - the most I could honor was a booklist for the Norwich School of Painters!).
Prior to that he had been born inwards Norwich in addition to educated inwards prototype inwards London where he was really much influenced past times Thomas Girtin and joined a sketching fellowship founded past times Girtin.
He's mainly known equally a landscape painter in addition to etcher summation he produced illustrations for books. At the fourth dimension of the paintings produced for this exhibition he was beingness paid some £200pa to live a prototype tutor to the married adult woman in addition to children of a gentleman known equally Dawson Turner.
Other artists inwards the exhibition
Besides Cotman, at that topographic point are also a few examples of drawings in addition to paintings of Normandy which were beingness executed past times other watercolour artists at the same fourth dimension - including:
- JMW Turner - the exhibition includes iii really overnice small-scale watercolour sketches - including i which was a straight comparing amongst a prototype past times Cotman
- Richard Parkes Bonington (who died historic catamenia 26) - whose drawings I loved and
- a pair of artists I'd never heard of:
- Samuel Prout who was a master copy watercolour painter in addition to Painter inwards Water-Colours inwards Ordinary to King George IV in 1829 in addition to afterwards to Queen Victoria.
- Henry Edridge - who made ii excursions to Normandy in addition to Paris, inwards 1817 in addition to 1819
Cotman inwards Normandy
It's an interesting exhibition in addition to focuses on i especial phase inwards Cotman's life when he had ii ambitions:
- to resolve some questions almost the origins of English linguistic communication architecture - in addition to its human relationship amongst French Norman architecture. Apparently architecture was described equally going from Anglo Saxon to Early English linguistic communication without whatsoever reference to the Norman influence! Cotman had painted most of the churches inwards Norfolk - in addition to he had a theory!
- to brand money (what's new!) past times creating portfolios of etchings from a serial of drawings of buildings inwards Normandy.
 |
| New Bridge, Durham 1806-7 past times John Sell Cotman Watercolour on paper Private Collection |
Exhibition Rooms
The exhibition starts amongst drawings, etchings in addition to watercolours of England past times Cotman from around the fourth dimension the Norwich School of Artists was founded inwards 1803 - inside the context of the "golden historic catamenia of English linguistic communication watercolour painting"
(See The Golden Age of British Watercolor in the 18th and 19th Centuries By doc Patricia Crown)
If I'm honest these are the ones I prefer. I'm a large fan of Cotman's early on paintings inwards the starting fourth dimension decade of the nineteenth century.
The New Bridge, Durham (left) is a junior relation of the really famous Greta Bridge which is inwards the British Museum
The hub of the exhibition revolves around three journeys that Cotman made to Normandy inwards 1817, 1818 in addition to 1820. The artwork he produced is referred to equally "later work" to distinguish it from some of the really pop before work.
This is a YouTube video of the Curator explaining the exhibition
I constitute the curator in addition to the catalogue to live rather heavy on the history in addition to the storey in addition to somewhat lightweight on the prototype in addition to technical aspects of producing the works. It's really ofttimes the instance these days that exhibitions of paintings focus inwards role on the processes adopted past times an creative soul - but hither nosotros accept no sketchbooks in addition to no tools of the merchandise of the fourth dimension which aid explicate how his go was produced.
It would live skilful if galleries could residue out fine art historians amongst the valuable perspective of practitioners who tin plough over the sack utter in addition to write rather to a greater extent than know about how works were produced in addition to their resonance equally plant of fine art equally opposed to records of places. As it is, it's rather equally if the exhibition is designed to appeal rather to a greater extent than to antiquarians than artists or fine art lovers!
So for example, I went through the whole introduction at the preview past times the Curator yesterday without i time realising that non i unmarried drawing or prototype inwards the exhibition was produced past times Cotman 'on site' patch working 'plein air'. I also solely constitute that out when I asked where his sketchbooks were. Apparently at that topographic point are no sketchbooks or whatsoever original drawings. All the plant inwards existence are studio plant made from the original drawings. Which explains why a lot of his plant appear to accept been made patch he was suspended inwards the air!
Given the contrast amongst the do of other artists working at the same fourth dimension I'd accept idea rather to a greater extent than weight could accept been made of this in addition to the processes adopted past times Cotman for making art.
 |
To my heed the usage of such a tool explains why Cotman's 'style' for his afterward plant looks fifty-fifty flatter than his before plant where to a greater extent than usage was made of tonal values in addition to gradated washes.
In the afterward plant he gets to a greater extent than involved amongst the detail and the a heavy punch of a 3D effect rather than the large shapes in addition to judicious in addition to subtle usage of tonal values to acquire recession which is seen inwards the before works. There's also a sure as shooting feel of colouring betwixt the lines inwards these afterward works. That said it's i means of doing watercolour!
In essence for me, this exhibition confirms John Sell Cotman's strengths equally beingness a graphic rather than a romantic creative soul - such equally Bonington. The contrast betwixt their drawing styles which is evident inwards the exhibition is really marked. Maybe his aim of producing a develop of etchings led him to live much to a greater extent than graphic - it's difficult to say.
Cotman is skilful at composition in addition to the graphic representation of a place. This exhibition suggests that inwards his afterward plant he's rather less interested inwards the colouration in addition to the tonal washes amongst careful colouration which are to a greater extent than evident his before work.
 |
| Alencon (1823) by John Sell Cotman watercolour, 432 x 584 mm, Birmingham Museum in addition to Art Gallery |
However he does gain an fantabulous monochromatic watercolour drawing - in addition to at that topographic point are some fantabulous paintings - only non a lot!
[Note: If yous desire to run into to a greater extent than images from the exhibition delight bookmark this post equally I'll live dorsum to add together inwards some to a greater extent than images from the exhibition afterward - I've got to become to an Awards Dinner!]
...and the rest
Catalogue
There's a catalogue if yous can't acquire to the exhibition - but although the character of its reproductions are good, those interested demand to realise it's heavy on the history rather than the art. The catalogue and diverse other products are available from the fantabulous gallery shop.
Events
There are some related events
Accessibility
I dearest the hold back of the exhibition - the sepia ink in addition to monochomatic plant on quondam newspaper plant hold back specially skilful on the Farrow and Ball Dix Blue walls.
However I gain intend the labelling is going to introduce some people amongst problems if they accept less than really skilful eyesight. The number is essentially the lack of contrast betwixt the white text in addition to the mid blueish label.
I advise Dulwich PG mightiness desire to reverberate on the correct residue betwixt accessibility and aesthetics for futurity exhibitions.
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