Paintings of hunting scenes, lots of bowls of fruit, plenty of dead pheasants ( ikk, I know.. why would you paint a dead pheasant?) and even more of large cows th the prices they paid for them. ( from calculations one cost 112 guineas, which in the late 17th century amounted to over $2000.. so I guess its worth painting a picture of that sort of cow)
I found this painting in a hallway in Lord Lichfields private apartments. I asked the attendant who the painter was an anything they kew about it. All they could tell me was that they thought it was an O'Neil and it was called the Recruiter. I've done a search on the paintings in Shugborough Hall and on the painter, but nothing comes up.
It may have been an Irish painter called Bernard O'Neil, but having looked at his paintings online, this one is not amongst the ones attributed to him - though that still doesn't discount it being one of his. Anyone who knows the painter - please let me know!
I stood and stared at it for a good 20 mins. The amount of detail and emotion etched into each characters face breaks my heart. It reminds me of the painting "Evicted" by Fletcher - one of my all time favourite Victorian Realist paintings ( Its in the Brisbane Art Gallery for any of my Aussie mates)
The painting depicts the press ganging and coercion happening during one of the many wars the UK fought, where young men were given the Kings gold - or it was slipped into their drink and once they touched the tankard, it was deemed they had accepted the role in the army. Some went willingly, others - not so much.
Interestingly , about the only character who has dull eyes and it unmoved b the events, is the main character - the young man whose sweetheart pleads with him not to go while his mother begs the sergeant to leave him home. I wonder too about the little boy in the forefront as he measures something with his hands - he appears to be separate in all aspects to the events and other characters.
The painting depicts the press ganging and coercion happening during one of the many wars the UK fought, where young men were given the Kings gold - or it was slipped into their drink and once they touched the tankard, it was deemed they had accepted the role in the army. Some went willingly, others - not so much.
Interestingly , about the only character who has dull eyes and it unmoved b the events, is the main character - the young man whose sweetheart pleads with him not to go while his mother begs the sergeant to leave him home. I wonder too about the little boy in the forefront as he measures something with his hands - he appears to be separate in all aspects to the events and other characters.
1 comment:
I don't find as moving as 'Evicted', that really breaks my heart. In this painting they were, apart from your little measuring fellow in the foreground, adults. The misery etched on the (women's) faces though is intense.
Post a Comment