Paintings from England

Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley

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March 18, 201418th Century WesternNo comments

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One of the famous American paintings depicting a real life event. When 18th century artist, John Singleton Copley reached in London in 1774, Brook Watson commissioned him to portray his life event when he was attacked by shark during a swim in ocean. The attacked had happened in 1749, when Watson was of 14 years old. Total of three versions were made of the event. Each with slightly different depiction method. The represented one is a romanticized version which hides the cut off leg of Watson in the depth of water. During the attack, shark had bitten off his one leg. As it would be expected for such scenes, everyone on the boat is frightened and is helping to save Watson. Watson was saved eventually […]

American, Boat, Harbor, Ocean, Sea

The Dinner Hour, Wigan by Eyre Crowe

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September 19, 201219th Century Genre Painting WesternNo comments

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The Dinner Hour, Wigan by Eyre Crowe represents the women workers of the cotton mills of Wigan taking some rest from their tedious job. It is claimed that the painting is a “rosy” version of the real women workers in the town. As Crowe was from an upper-middle class family, he was tended to see things with more prosperous establishments instead of depicting the real-life conditions. The painting represents workers sitting and eating their food as they have got a dinner break. Behind them, those are the mills of Wigan known for giving low wages to their workers in the contemporary times. Thus, the workers’ main diet was bread, tea and potatoes and that diet can’t produce such healthy and beautiful bodies. The painting is […]