The Ambassadors Painting

August 16th, 2011

Hans Holbein the Younger, one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century, was an outstanding religious and portrait painter of the Renaissance. He was born in Augsburg, Germany in the winter of 1947/1948 and worked as a young artist in Basel. His work ranges from illustrating books, woodcuts, glass paintings, altarpieces and portraits. He became a court painter to Henry VIII although he had several sitters who are noblemen, merchants, archbishops and scholars. He was the first portrait painter who gained international fame. Named after his father Hans Holbein the older, he was named the Younger to distinguish him from his father who was an accomplished Late Gothic school painter. One of his masterpieces, The Ambassadors, which is famous for its controversial connotation, was the topic for debate between scholars and art experts.

The Ambassadors, considered as one of the most widely known portraits of the Renaissance period, is a double portrait of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve. He made this artwork in 1533 which was the culmination period of his career as a portrait painter. During this “last period” of Holbein’s life, he focused mainly on the wealthy German merchants in London and the King and his court as his subjects. However, it was also during this period when he learned the technique of portrait miniatures. Holbein is known not only for the precision of his portraits’ appearance but he is also famous for embedding layers of paradox, allusion and symbolism into his portraits as evidenced in his ever puzzling masterpiece “The Ambassadors.”

Several points made this painting eminent over the years. Holbein flawlessly created the timeless masterpiece of symbolism and anamorphosis in this painting. The painting’s meaning and symbolism has been argued about over the centuries. About five centuries have passed but still the painting remains to be one of the most exceptional examples of anamorphism. Aside from its anamorphic art, the message and meaning depicted in this double portrait has been a continuing issue.

Over the years, scholars have been trying to figure out what the portrait conveys. Holbein has been very precise in integrating symbols and figures into this art that even scholars have no definite interpretation of the portrait’s emotion and message.

This portrait depicts two members of Henry VIII’s court who are expertly portrayed with objects that are related to their higher learning and worldliness. Holbein did not only mean to show the portrait of his subjects but he associated them with symbols that describe the characters of the two persons involved.

Scholars and experts in Renaissance art have different interpretations about the idea conveyed in the portrait. Some scholars see it as unification of the church and of capitalism. While others believe that the painting artistically shows the conflicts between religious and secular authorities. This conflict is represented by the two figures – de Dinteville who is a land owner and de Selve who is a bishop. The two subjects are surrounded by commonly accepted symbols of discord like the lute with a broken string and a hymnbook with Martin Luther’s translation in it. These symbols suggest conflict between the clergy and the scholars.

This masterpiece by Holbein has gained him the respect of other portrait painters. His splendid technical skills, wide-ranged knowledge on three-dimensional form and space, and precise eye for realistic detail are the skills that are exclusive to him. These attributes are what makes his paintings show true emotions and characters effortlessly.

Author:  Shyxter

The Birth of Venus Painting

August 12th, 2011

Sandro Botticelli, with a birth name of Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, was born on May 17, 1510 at Florence, Italy. But recounting the early life of this great portraitist is very insufficient as his historical accounts are few. However, Sandro Botticelli was known to have become an apprentice at the age of fourteen (14); his apprenticeship earned him a full education as compared to other Renaissance artists who were not able to finish school. He was also trained as a goldsmith by his brother, Antonio. In 1942, Botticelli became an apprentice painter to Fra Filippo Lippi, with his early works accredited to this master. Botticelli was influenced by the paintings of Masaccio, also a great painter of the Italian Renaissance, but Sandro learned making intricate details from his master painter, Fra Filippo Lippi. Since then, Botticelli travelled to Hungary for more painting endeavours; even an archbishop of Hungary, in the person of Vitéz János, came to love Botticelli’s painting.

Sandro Botticelli was indeed a master of Renaissance art. In 1486, he created a masterpiece painting entitled “The Birth of Venus”, which depicts the goddess Venus or Aphrodite in Greek Mythology. As seen on the painting, Venus emerges from the surface of the sea with a giant shell that added perfection to the picture. The Zephyr wind-gods lead Venus to the shore with roses showering down upon her, symbolizing spiritual passion. As Venus is surfacing on the shore, the Nymph hands her a purple cloak. This uniqueness and spirituality of this painting are the reasons why it is considered a genuine Renaissance masterpiece.

During this era when most paintings were influenced by Christian beliefs figures of women symbolize chastity, Botticelli came up with an idea to choose Venus as his main character in his painting; and he painted it nude. Because he had an influential friendship with the Medici family, then a strong political dynasty in Florence, this rather provocative painting was saved from any religious critic and indignation. But Botticelli’s other paint works were condemned and perished in flames because of their pagan themes.

Many of Botticelli’s paintings interpret a moving concept. His “The Birth of Venus” painting was influenced by a painting of another masterpiece painter named Apelles.  The title of Apelle’s painting was “Venus Anadyomene”, from the word “Anadyomene”, which means rising from the sea. The way Venus posed in Botticelli’s painting also resembled Venus di Medici, a marble statue of classical antiquity which he had an opportunity to study.

The Birth of Venus painting of Botticelli rejects the classical realism of Raphael or da Vinci. The figure of Venus foreshadows mannerism which is obviously depicted in the painting where Venus covers the sensitive part of her body. Venus is obviously a fantasy image as the painting shows an improbable pose of Venus, when done realistically Venus’ posing is likely to be anatomically impossible to do. Botticelli’s choice of character lacks in giving weight and volume that he rarely puts deep perspective in space per se.

Though the painting was a pigment of his imagination, it still gave curious ideas to his audiences as to how the painting was influenced or what manifestations it was trying to convey.  Despite the fictional ideas of “The Birth of Venus”, the painting surely presented a pleasurable sight to its viewers and certainly influenced the minds of the other great portrait painters in history as well.

Author:   Shyxter


Leonardo da Vinci

August 5th, 2011

Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci, most popularly known as Leonardo da Vinci, was an Italian Renaissance polymath. He was a painter as well as a sculptor, engineer and many more. He was born on the 15th of April 1452, as an illegitimate son of Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman. He has no surname, ‘da Vinci’ means ‘of Vinci’, so in other terms his name means ‘Leonardo of Vinci’. In the earlier time of his life, he was educated in the studio of Verrochio, a renowned painter in Florence during that time. He then worked in service for Ludovico il Morro in Milan, and then later he spent his life in Rome, Bologna and in Venice. He spent the last years of his life in the home awarded to him by Francis I in France, teaching prospective painters.

Leornardo da Vinci is considered as one of the best portrait painters of all time due to his unique technique that makes a portrait painting look real and three dimensional. He used an innovative technique in his painting, especially portrait paintings, which other painters during his time don’t know of. One of the great things about da Vinci is his great knowledge about how humans register emotions through the face and through gestures; his in-depth understanding about anatomy and the like made it possible for him to paint precise body parts of each person in his paintings.

In the portraits that he painted, he used a technique called Sfumato, wherein the colors and edges are softened with dark glazes. It can also be called a subtle gradation of tone; it looks like the colors are fading thus, making the painting look more real. The application of the Sfumato technique was very prominent in da Vinci’s paintings; and he was the one who conceptualized the technique. Another style that he used in painting portraits is known as Chiaroscuro, which is a way of shading that uses the brightness of the color rather than color itself.

It can be observed that da Vinci always uses these techniques in his portrait painting, wherein he employs different shades of a specific color rather than using a lot of different colors. He expands the range of luminance in his portraits than using numerous hues as other artists do. Another da Vinci style is the use of Velatura technique in his portraits, where the colors or paints are mixed in a canvas rather than in a palette. This style gives a milky or foggy haze that makes what is underneath vague.

Undoubtedly, the most famous of his works is the Mona Lisa painting. It can be seen in this work of art that da Vinci used the Sfumato technique at the corner of the woman’s eyes and mouth to make it look alive and real. By this, the tones blend with one another and it eliminates sharp lines thus creating an atmospheric effect. The liveliness of the Mona Lisa painting was even more enhanced as da Vinci mixed the colors in a canvas and not in a palette.

In the later years of his life, he spent it living in Belvedere in Vatican, Rome. In 1516, he was given the permission to use of the manor house Clos Luce, which is near the King’s residence. He then spent the last three years of his life in the manor accompanied by his apprentice at the same time his friend Count Francesco Melzi and was supported by a total of 10, 000 scudi pension. Da Vinci’s life ended in the manor on May 2, 1519.

Author:   Shyxter

John Singer Sargent

July 28th, 2011

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was known for his great pieces of portraits during his generation. Most of his pieces are Edwardian Era inspired. You may be awed of the number of portrait paintings he has made throughout his career; he crafted 900 oil paintings and over 2, 000 watercolors along with countless sketch works and charcoal drawings. His original compositions have travelled across the globe like Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, the Middle East, Montana, Maine and Florida.

John Singer Sargent is an American emigrant who went to school as a French artist in Paris before he moved to London. Sargent was globally acclaimed to be a great portrait painter in Paris but despite his brilliant credentials in portrait painting, his portrait work Madame X in Salon has raised some issues though he considered it as his best piece of all time.

The scandal affected him badly that he left Paris regardless of the stature of his career. He decided to settle in England and pursued his love for the arts. Sargent was an intellectual diversified painter, an Impressionist, a Classical Portraitist, a Landscape Artist, and a public Muralist. His paintings were criticized for he lacks trend and radical thought in his art pieces, but instead he worked within established styles in rich textured pallets. His brilliance in incorporating the elements in painting techniques was never acknowledged.

One of his most famous masterpieces is the portrait he made for President Theodore Roosevelt in an oil canvas. Prior to this painting, Sargent and Roosevelt roamed around the White House to look for a perfect lighting. In this portrait piece he used some nuanced blacks, grays, browns and creams. Sargent’s unique style of combining color elements made the portrait of President Roosevelt so vivid that it looked more lifelike; the pose was surreal of respect and dignity.

In his watercolor works, he derived his techniques from an artistic inspiration. Sargent used wax resists, challenging washes, and varied brushstrokes to express his subjects with intense accuracy and emphasis. He usually started with a pencil drawing, over which he layered the watercolor and sometimes added gouache (another water-based paint type).

Sargent always included sensual brushstrokes in his oil paintings, which was clearly seen in his portrait work for Pres. Roosevelt. His works were always a subject of criticism to the point that he was accused to be an admirer of the Post-Impressionists. Though Sargent denied it, he still considered El Greco as one of his painting influences.

Sargent never failed to stress out vital strokes to define the importance of his subject. Whatever object is involved, Sargent intricately employed these strokes in his portrait works. From the texture of the fur, the sheen of silk, the knots in the lace, the rays of the sun, even a rosy-colored cheek, Sargent embodied all the minute details in every stroke. He was not the kind to generalize it all in one stroke but he carefully defined each detail in a vivid manner. Sargent was not just a plain painter, he captured every detail of the moment and the result was always exceptional and brilliant. He is able to bring impact to every subject of his painting.

Sargent put passion with great intensity in all his artworks even though circumstances were tough; he never stopped to fulfill his passion in arts. Today as many painters have already emerged, Sargent’s brilliant artworks have infused art with clear and direct perspective on his subjects. His masterpieces conveyed clear messages and thought.

Author:   Shyxter

The Last Supper Painting

July 8th, 2011

Only a great artist like Leonardo da Vinci could create a world-class and immortal painting like The Last Supper. This celebrated painter, with full birth name of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, was born on April 15, 1452 in the town of Vinci, a region in Florence. He was born to unmarried parents; his father, Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, was a wealthy legal notary while his mother, Caterina, was a humble peasant. His name means that he is Leonardo, the son of Messer Peiro from the town of Vinci. The “ser” in Leonardo’s name implies that his father was a noble man.

Leonardo was a man of great talents. Aside from being one of, if not the greatest painter in history; he was also a scientist, writer, engineer, mathematician, and an inventor, among many other endowments that no ordinary man possessed even during this time. His insatiable curiosity and intensely creative imagination made him not just a renowned painter in history, but even one of the most widely gifted persons ever seen by mankind. Many consider him a genius, with his eclectic views and profound understanding of things. Leonardo was a true representation of a Renaissance artist. He was very instrumental to the evolution of the great Italian Renaissance, a remarkable time in history when creativity was at its best.

The Last Supper painting was one of the major highlights of Leonardo’s career in the world of portrait painting. He made it in response to his employer’s request, Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan, whom he worked for in almost 18 years. This world renowned 15th century painting was rendered on a dry wall instead of on a wet surface, coated with layers of pitch, gesso, mastic, and tempera to hide the stone wall’s unevenness. However, this technique employed by Leonardo proved to be unsuitable because the painting deteriorated rapidly a few years after its completion.

This religious portrait illustrates the biblical scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ, when Jesus reveals the betrayal of one of His 12 Disciples. It distinctly portrays the diverse reactions of his apostles to the shocking news of betrayal. Three of the apostles shows a surprised reaction; they are Andrew, James (son of Alphaeus), and Bartholomew. Another group of three is that of John, Peter, and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the main character of this group, appearing to be reserved and dazed by the appalling detection of his evil plan. In the painting, Judas is the only one who placed his elbow on the table, this gesture represents his guiltiness. Peter looks really outraged and John seems as if he is going to faint.

Jesus is sitting at the center, with Mary Magdalene on his right side. His position with his arms laid on the table is shaped liked a triangle. There are also three windows behind Him.

Philip, Thomas, and James the Greater are also grouped into three, looking as stunned and upset just like the group of Simon, Matthew, and Jude Thaddeus.

The number 3 is notable in the painting; and this is Leonardo’s way of representing the Christian faith in the Holy Trinity. This unique arrangement in The Last Supper is one of the extraordinary features of the painting.

Leonardo positioned all the characters in The Last Supper to seat on one side of the table only so that their facial expressions can all be seen. It is also very evident that the angle of the room and lighting effects lure towards Jesus, the vanishing point of all the perspective lines in the painting.

Leonardo has incredibly presented this biblical story in such a natural and meaningful manner. The Last Supper painting is so life-like; and up to this time, no other biblical portrait has ever equalled its impeccable pattern.

Author:  Shyxter

Raphael

June 19th, 2011

Raffaello Santi, more famously known as Raphael, was an Italian artist born on April 6,1483 in the artistic city of Urbino, Italy. Raphael’s father, Giovanni Santi, was also artistically inclined as a court painter and a poet. He was deeply influenced by his father’s passion for the arts. His mother, Magia, died early in 1491 when Raphael was just eight years old. He was completely orphaned when his father died in 1494, where he lived with his uncle Bartolome who was a priest.

Raphael was a multi-talented artist as he excelled in the fields of portrait painting, architecture, history, and poetry.  He is one of the 3 three greatest artists of the High Renaissance, an Italian period of remarkable artistic creation from the 1490s to the 1520s. He is most recognized for his Madonna paintings and murals in the Vatican Palace.

Raphael’s first art lessons were with his father and when he reached sixteen, he became a student of Pietro Perugino who was a well-known painter and teacher of the Italian Renaissance. According to art gurus, most of Raphael’s works clearly show the influence of his teacher Perugino. During that time, art experts found it hard to distinguish Perugino’s work from Raphael’s as the two artists seem to employ similar painting techniques. It is said that “probably no other pupil of genius has ever absorbed so much of his master’s teaching as Raphael did”. Raphael’s technique was just like his teacher, where he applied paint densely in oil varnish mediums.

At twenty-one, Raphael went to live in Florence where he studied the styles of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo. Many say that he copied the style of these two artists, but as he progressed he was able to make a unique blend of his own technique and Florentine art. Raphael’s portraits have light atmospheres, balanced movements and compositions, and impeccable richness and clarity in color. He loved painting nature and portraits of people. In his paintings, he employed the faces of his family and friends and showed a great reverence for women.

One of Raphael’s most renowned paintings is the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, an oil painting of Baldassare Castiglione who was a humanist and an ambassador to the Pope. Castiglione and Raphael were good friends and in his portrait painting, Raphael perfectly illustrated the marks of an accomplished and well-respected personality. Raphael distinctly depicted his friend in the portrait as an elegant and intelligent gentleman.

The Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione showed a simple but unique blend of 4 shades only – white, black, gray, and a little bit of beige. The portrait was covered in a subtle light in which Castiglione’s shadow slightly fades at the right side. Raphael made sure that the face and penetrating gaze of Castiglione are the focus of the painting by purposely cutting the portrait at the hands of his model.

Raphael’s life was abruptly finished when he died of severe fever at the age of 37. A very interesting fact is that he was born on a Good Friday and died on the day of his birthday, April 6, 1520. Although he left behind an incomplete transformation in the world of arts, his skills as an excellent artist made a great mark in history.

Author:  Shyxter

Man in a Red Turban Portrait

June 13th, 2011

Man in a Red Turban Portrait

Jan van Eyck, also known as Johannes de Eyck, created this masterpiece which is known to be one of the greatest portrait paintings in the world. He was born in Maaseik, Belgium circa 1395, with no exact date of birth since only little was discovered about his younger years. Jan van Eyck was a Flemish artist who mastered oil painting during the period when such art was still a new discovery. Because he was a pioneer master of the art, Jan van Eyck was conventionally known to be the Father of Oil Painting. And with his very truthful paintings of the human form and mastery of the oil techniques, he was also considered as one of the best portraitists of Northern Europe in the 15th century. It is also believed that the artist Hubert van Eyck and the assumed artist Lambert van Eyck are his brothers.

The Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban was made by van Eyck in 1433 in an oil on wood panel. It is one of the best representations of Northern Renaissance of the 15th century, the era which marks the remarkable growth of fine arts from 1430-1580 in Flanders and Germany.

The portrait was believed to be a self-portrait, but there was no strong evidence to confirm such. However,  there is an engraving at the uppermost part of the frame showing a convincing  proof that the Man in a Red Turban Portrait is a self-portrait of Jan van Eyck. The writings have Greek letters that read “Als Ich Can” (as I/Eyck can), which is some kind of a spoof citation of the artist’s name. The focus of the man’s gaze in the portrait also implies who the character in the painting is. The caption at the bottom frame shows the artist’s name and date of completion, read as “Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433”. It is significant to note that the writings on the portrait were made to look as though they have been carved rather than painted.

What makes the Man in a Red Turban Portrait so natural is its accurate visual effects and mirror-like gleam, a product of van Eyck’s expert skill in using slight layers of clear color pigments that make for the portrait’s full radiance. A clear example is the effects in the eyes of the man in the portrait. The subtle mixture of white, red, blue, and black colors somehow make the eyes of the man appear so alive. The two eyes of the man also show different focuses, with the right eye somewhat hazy while the left eye evidently defined and concentrated on a certain object. The appearance of the eyes is most probably an effect of van Eyck viewing himself through a mirror; because a person cannot see both eyes the same way when viewing oneself from a specific angle.

Jan van Eyck truly was a master oil painter as he was able to unspeakably show himself in the portrait, in such a way that the strokes of his brush seem to have been made invisible.

Author:  Shyxter

Diego Velazquez

June 13th, 2011

Las Meninas Portrait

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, known to the world as Diego Velazquez, is not only Spain’s most renowned painter but also one of the best artists of all ages. Born a few days before his baptism on June 6, 1599 in Seville, Spain, he was the eldest child of Jeronima Velazquez and Juan Rodríguez de Silva. Both his parents came from average nobility; as his mother belonged to the lesser gentry of the Hidalgo class while his father was a lawyer who came from a decent Portuguese ancestry. He carried the surname of his mother since it was a Spanish tradition that the firstborn male will preserve his mother’s heritage.

Velazquez had a religious upbringing and was given a good education by his parents. He took up language and philosophy trainings and eventually revealed his great interest for the arts. He studied under a highly spirited painter, Francisco de Herrera, and for one year Velazquez mastered using paint brushes with extended bristles. When he turned 12, he left Herrera’s school and became a trainee of Francisco Pacheco. Pacheco was just an ordinary artist teacher in Seville but his upfront practicality trained Velazquez to have a good eye on artistic angles and proportions. He stayed with Pacheco for five years and at the age of 19, he married his teacher’s daughter. He went to Madrid in 1622 and became the official portraitist of the Spanish royal family and other prominent European personalities.

This Spanish portraitist had a very distinctive style like no other European artist. Aside from portraits, Velazquez also made paintings about history, culture, religion, nature, and everyday life. Because of his varied works, he became known as the “noblest and most commanding man among the artists of his country”. The realism in his paintings was unparalleled, as the characters and settings on his portraits seem to breathe life. Velazquez was very good at color combinations, and his painting style showed a great balance of light and line elements. Because of this, his contemporaries regarded him as “the painter’s painter”. He has greatly influenced painters of the succeeding generation in the likes of Bartolome Murillo, Francisco de Goya, and Edouard Manet.

The Las Meninas, or Maids of Honour, is known to be the finest painting in the Western realm and one of the most bewildering too. There is a certain combination of realism and delusion in the painting that makes it complex and mysterious. It shows a room in the palace of King Philip IV with some of the characters looking directly towards the viewer of the painting. Velazquez showed himself in the picture but the main figure was the Infanta Margarita, the Spanish princess, with her maids and chaperones. According to art analysts, the Las Meninas painting portrays that “art and life are an illusion”. Velazquez might have wanted to convey that life for him is a dream too. The portrait can also be understood as a depiction of Velazquez’s career being the royal family’s Official of the Court, in which he served as such for most of his life.

Author: Shyxter

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn – Great Portrait Artist

June 6th, 2011

Known to be one of the most celebrated portrait painters in history, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden, Dutch Republic. He came from a well-off family and was given a good education by his parents. During his younger years, he studied at a Latin school and attended the University of Leiden at age 14. Studying in the university did not please him, as painting was what he really wanted to do. Rembrandt eventually left the university to pursue his great love for the arts and became a student of Jacob van Swanenburgh, a local history painter. He stayed with this Leiden master for 3 years, after which he met his greatest teacher Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. His apprenticeship with Pieter lasted for only 6 months, but it taught him enough to become a master portrait artist like his teachers. He returned to his homeland in 1624 and at age 22, he started teaching and sharing his craft to aspiring students. This was the beginning of Rembrandt’s great journey towards prominence in the world of arts.

As seen on his paintings, Rembrandt is considered to be the most precise and insightful portrait painters who ever lived. That is why most of his contemporaries believe that he is indeed the greatest portraitist of the human face. With his expertise in shadow and light effects known as chiaroscuro, his human portraits exude a realistic and soulful representation of feelings unlike any other artist. In a personal letter, Rembrandt expressed what he wanted to realize in his paintings and that is to portray the greatest and most natural movement.

Rembrandt was also deeply spiritual and biblical in his paintings. He was a master portraitist of biblical stories and divine interpretations. The Blinding of Samson was one of his biblical masterpieces which he created in 1636 at Frankfurt. He impeccably combined worldly and spiritual aspects that show his deep understanding of human existence.

Rembrandt’s most renowned painting was the Night Watch, or commonly called The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq. It is an oil-on-canvass type of painting which he completed in 1642. The Night Watch is notably displayed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam as the most famous painting in their exhibition. The portrait is well-known because of 3 notable features: its huge size of 363 cm × 437 cm (142.9 in × 172.0 in), the dramatic light and shadow or chiaroscuro effect, and the depiction of a military activity that seemed to be moving rather than static. The painting shows many characters; the most notable of which are Captain Frans Banning Cocq who was dressed in black and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch who was dressed in yellow. There were many other figures in the painting but Rembrandt seamlessly presented the picture with great balance. Rembrandt also used symbolisms on this painting, as exemplified by the girl dressed in yellow with claws of a dead chicken on her belt. The claws represented the Arquebusiers, the soldiers of the sixteenth century. The victory of the Arquebusiers is signified by the prominent yellow color in the portrait, with the defeat of the opponent as characterized by the dead chicken. With the lifelike and controversial effect of the Night Watch portrait, it is undoubtedly one of Rembrandt’s greatest works.

Author:    Shyxter

Ozias Humphrey

July 13th, 2010

Ozias Humphrey was born in the Devon region of England (1742-1810), and he painted oils, pastels, watercolors, and portrait miniatures in the latter part of the 18th century.  He traveled widely, studying in London and Bath and receiving commissions on his way to exotic destinations like India and Italy.  Arguably Humphrey’s best known work is the portrait in oils that was only recently attributed to him, referred to as The Rice Portrait.  It was put up for auction at Christie’s in April of 2007, but interest did not surpass the minimum bid that was set.  The owners rightly assumed that it should have great value given its intriguing story, although in a fluctuating economy like ours, it remains difficult to designate how much value.  It’s no Octopussy Faberge egg, I suppose.

The auction was a newsworthy event, anyway, because Ozias Humphrey’s Rice Portrait is an important historical piece.  The lovely full-length portrait depicting a young woman holding a green parasol and wearing a long princess-cut white dress with short sleeves and lace detailing is believed by some to be of Jane Austen (1775-1817).  Others dispute this claim, saying the clothing style is off by a decade.  The portrait had been reproduced as the frontispiece to the 1884 collection of her letters, which was published by Jane Austen’s great-nephew, Edward, Lord Brabourne.  Ever since, it has been associated with the famed novelist.

The realistic oil painting portrays details such as the blush and sweet look of a lady’s face, the soft reflection on her slippers, and outlines of several features of landscape behind her.  It covers a canvas sized 142.2 x 92.7cm (56 x 36.5 in).  Interestingly, Humphrey originally painted portrait miniatures, but failing eyesight caused him to need to enlarge his medium of choice, as with the Rice Portrait.  As well, if Humphrey did in fact come into contact with Jane Austen, she was not the only literary figure with whom he worked.  William Blake both wrote letters to and commissioned paintings by Ozias Humphrey.

Author: Julie Ann