Genre painters 18th century
Antonio Capellan was an Italian engraver, active in a Neoclassical style. He trained with Joseph Wagner. Capellan is best known for making engraved copies of masterworks of the Italian Renaissance found in private collections, which were published in Gavin Hamilton's work, Schola Italica Picturae. He also engraved a series of portraits of cardinals titled "Calcographia R.C.A. apud Pedem Marmoreum". In 1759, he engraved portraits of Michelangelo and Giorgio Vasari for a volume of the life of Vasari, curated by Bottari.
Balthasar Augustin Albrecht was a German painter of the first half of the 18th century. He is known as a painter who worked in portrait, historical and religious genres.
Albrecht began his career in 1719. He was appointed court painter at the court of the Elector of Bavaria and inspector-custodian of the Picture Gallery in Munich. In addition to portraits and paintings, he created frescoes and altarpieces in churches in Munich and other German cities.
Elias Baeck called "Heldenmuth", was a German painter and engraver from Augsburg. Baeck worked for some time in Rome, then in Laybach, but finally returned to Augsburg, where he died in 1747. His chief works — both in painting and engraving — were portraits and landscapes. His engravings are sometimes signed "E.B.a.H.", standing for "Elias Baeck, alias Heldenmuth".
Jean Barbault was a French painter, etcher and printmaker, who worked in Rome for most of his life. He is noted for paintings of local people, wearing traditional costumes or Oriental costumes and for his work documenting iconic Roman monuments and antiquities which were published in two volumes.
George Barret the Elder was an Irish landscape painter.
He arrived in London in 1762, and soon became known in society and became a leading painter of the period. Barret exhibited at the Society of Artists of Great Britain and gained the patronage of many art collectors. In 1768, he co-founded the Royal Academy. During his lifetime Barret painted many fine landscapes of Wales, the Lake District, the Thames, views of castles and palaces, which were much sought after by the nobility.
His son, George Barret the Younger (1767-1842), also became a landscape painter, and he may even have surpassed his father in skill.
Diana Beauclerk, born Diana Spencer, was an English painter.
Diana Beauclerk was highly gifted, painting portraits, illustrating plays and books, creating designs for Wedgwood's pioneering ceramics and decorating rooms with frescoes.
Giuseppe Bernardino Bison was an Italian painter celebrated for his mastery in frescoes, landscapes, vedute, capriccios, and religious works. Bison's journey through art took him across Italy, leaving a legacy that bridged the 18th and 19th centuries. His education under the tutelage of Gerolamo Romani and Constantino Cedini at the Accademia of Venice laid the foundation for a career influenced by the luminaries of Venetian painting, such as Tiepolo and Francesco Guardi.
Bison's eclectic and versatile style made him a pivotal figure in prolonging the vedutist tradition. His oeuvre includes a significant number of graphic works alongside his frescoes and easel paintings, which often depicted topographical vedutas and fantasy scenes. He worked in various cities, including Ferrara, Trieste, and Padua, leaving behind numerous palaces and villas adorned with his frescoes.
His art found a market among the affluent non-aristocrats of the time, collaborating with art dealer Tosoni to produce landscapes and vedute that catered to local tastes. Despite his success in places like Trieste, Bison's later years in Milan were marked by smaller commissions and financial struggles.
Bison's works are preserved in esteemed collections worldwide, including the Cooper Hewitt, Princeton University Art Museum, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Clark Art Institute, Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. His paintings, such as "The Arsenale in Venice," "The Hermits of Thebes," and "Capriccio of Padua," continue to captivate audiences with their intricate detail and historical value.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Bison's legacy offers a unique glimpse into the transition of Italian painting from the 18th to the 19th century. His ability to blend realism with fantastical elements makes his work a fascinating study in the evolution of European art.
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Louis-Marin Bonnet (French: Louis-Marin Bonnet) is a French draftsman and engraver, an outstanding master of metal engraving using the “pencil style” technique. Since 1757, Louis-Marais Bonnet was a student of Jean-Charles Francois, then of Gilles Demarteau. He became famous for his color engravings reproducing drawings by A. Watteau, F. Boucher, Sh.-A. Van Loo, J.-B. Yue. Bonnet reproduced mainly complex pastel drawings, using up to eighty boards per engraving. He used opaque paints that gave a matte tone and tinted paper. He reproduced the spaces by printing with white from a separate board. Bonnet even imitated the golden frames bordering the original drawings. This technique is called “pastel style”. In 1769, Bonnet described his technique in detail in the book Pastel in Engraving, Invented and Executed by Louis Bonnet. In 1765-1767, the French master worked in St. Petersburg, where he completed several engraving portraits in the “pencil style” of Catherine II and the heir Pavel Petrovich based on drawings by Jean-Louis de Velli, then returned to Paris and opened his own workshop.
Giovanni Antonio Burrini was an Italian painter and engraver who worked during the Late Baroque period.
Giovanni Antonio Burrini worked mainly as a painter, specialising in religious and historical subjects. His style was influenced by the Bolognese school of painting, which emphasized classical composition, clear forms, and vivid colours.
Burrini's paintings often depicted scenes from biblical narratives and mythological stories. His work was distinguished by his meticulous attention to detail, delicate brushwork and sense of dramatic illumination and atmosphere. He also created intricate and finely detailed engravings.
Daniel Caffé was a distinguished German pastel painter of portraits. Known for his meticulous craftsmanship and the emotive depth of his portraiture, Caffé initially embarked on a career in architectural decoration before his talents led him to Dresden to become a portrait artist.
Daniel Caffé's journey into the world of fine arts was marked by his study at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under the guidance of significant figures like Casanova and the influence of neoclassical artist Anton Raphael Mengs. His mastery of pastel made him a favored portraitist among the nobility and notable figures of his time, including Russian patrons like Prince Beloselski and Admiral Fyodor Grigoryevich Orloff.
His works, celebrated for their detailed and expressive nature, capture the essence of his subjects with striking realism and emotional depth. Among his notable works are portraits of prominent individuals such as Johann George Tromlitz and Karl August von Hardenberg, which not only exemplify his skill but also his contribution to the documentation of his era's influential figures.
Daniel Caffé's legacy as a pastel painter is preserved in various art collections and continues to be admired for its historical significance and artistic merit. He passed away on January 16, 1815, in Leipzig, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be studied and revered in the art community.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Daniel Caffé's portraits offer a glimpse into the refined pastel techniques and cultural narratives of the late 18th to early 19th century. His works remain a significant part of German art history, celebrated for their contribution to the development of portrait painting.
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Asmus Jacob Carstens was a Danish-German painter of the late 18th century. He is known as a painter and draughtsman, a representative of classicism and romanticism.
Carstens produced famous narrative and historical paintings, including Plato's Symposium and The Battle of Rossbach, which brought him popularity. His famous huge painting The Fall of Angels, containing 200 figures, made him a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. Carstens preferred pencil, chalk and watercolor, and worked with fresco, rarely using oil. Most of his large-scale projects have been left unfinished or lost. Many of his surviving works exist as drawings.
Michael Dahl was a Swedish portrait painter.
After several years of traveling in France and Italy, he finally settled in London in 1689, where he worked in the studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller. Dahl painted portraits of many aristocrats and some members of royal families. Michael Dahl soon became his teacher's chief rival and gained the patronage of Prince George of Denmark and his wife Princess Anne, whose portraits he also created. His studio practice flourished and he was the most popular portrait painter in London at the time.
Aert de Gelder was a Dutch painter. He was the only Dutch artist to paint in the tradition of Rembrandt's late style into the 18th century.
As author of biblical scenes and portraits his style was inspired by Rembrandt's, using his artistic ideas, well into the 18th century, without being influenced by contemporary new fashions. From the artistic point of view his work can not be considered as passive imitation of the master; indeed, it stands for inventiveness in the narrative, taste for the theatrical and a strong emotional charge of the characters. All these traits made him one of the most important interpreters of Dutch painting of the late seventeenth century.
Jean-François de Troy was a French Rococo easel and fresco painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer. One of France's leading history painters in his time, he was equally successful with his decorative paintings, genre scenes and portraits. He was the inventor of the tableaux de modes ('paintings of fashions'), which attempted to provide a spirited portrayal of contemporary fashions, pastimes and manners.
He was the Director of the French Academy in Rome from 1738.
Lucas de Valdés Carasquilla, a Spanish Baroque painter and engraver from Seville, born in 1661, was the third child of Juan de Valdés Leal. Influenced by his father's role in the painting guild, he began artistic endeavors early, creating his first known work at eleven. Alongside his siblings, he learned painting and engraving techniques in his father's workshop. Notably, he collaborated on assignments like adorning the Hospital de los Venerables' church. After formal education at San Hermenegildo College, he married the daughter of sculptor Francisco Dionisio de Ribas.
Lucas's prominence grew as his father's health declined. He completed various works, including murals, engravings, portraits, and more, reflecting influences from Murillo and others. His significant projects encompassed the murals in churches like the Hospital de los Venerables and the convent of San Pablo el Real. Around 1715, he painted the dome of the church at San Luis de los Franceses, then shifted to teaching mathematics at the Academy of Guardiamarinas in Cádiz from 1719, marking a decline in artistic output. He passed away in Cádiz on February 23, 1725.
Arthur William Devis was an English painter of history paintings and portraits. He painted portraits and historical subjects, sixty-five of which he exhibited (1779–1821) at the Royal Academy. Among his more famous works are a depiction of the Death of Nelson and a posthumous portrait of Nelson.
Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov (Russian: Андрей Иванович Иванов) was a distinguished Russian painter, renowned for his contributions to Neo-Classical art, particularly in historical scenes. Born in Moscow in 1775 and passing away in Saint Petersburg in 1848, Ivanov's journey in art was marked by his deep involvement with the Imperial Academy of Arts. From a young age, he demonstrated exceptional talent, receiving numerous accolades, including the prestigious Big Gold Medal from the Academy in 1797.
Ivanov's oeuvre is a testament to his mastery of historical and biblical narratives, capturing the essence of classical storytelling through his brush. Notable works such as "Prince Mstislav defeating Rededya" and "The Young Hero from Kiev" are just glimpses into his profound artistic legacy. His paintings not only reflect his technical skill but also his deep engagement with Russian history and mythology, contributing significantly to the cultural tapestry of his time.
Tragically, Ivanov's career faced challenges, particularly following his controversial painting "The Death of General Kulnev," which led to his removal from the Academy. Despite this setback, he continued to influence the art world, leaving a lasting legacy that includes his role as a teacher to prominent artists like Karl Briullov and his own son, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov.
For art collectors and enthusiasts, Ivanov's work offers a rich exploration of Russian classicism, imbued with historical depth and artistic excellence. His paintings, preserved in museums and galleries, continue to inspire and captivate audiences, underscoring his enduring impact on the world of art.
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Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek was a Dutch painter and draughtsman. Following his education, he worked as an art teacher, but soon decided to become a free-lance artist. In 1826, he moved to Durgerdam, near Amsterdam, where he would live and work until 1833. He initially combined seascapes and cityscapes but, in his later years, focused entirely on ocean scenes. Much of his inspiration came from the painters of the Dutch Golden Age. His style was essentially Realistic, but alos showed elements of the newer Romantic aesthetic. Rather than merely paint ships, he also learned as much as he could about the different types.
Karl Wilhelm Kolbe the Younger was a German painter of the first half of the 19th century. He is known as a painter-genre painter and stained glass artist, nephew of the famous painter Karl Wilhelm Kolbe.
Early in his career, Kolbe the Younger won a competition at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts with his drawing "The Doom of Froben at the Battle of Verbellin". He favored historical subjects, inspired by the Dutch tradition. The famous painting "Albrecht Achilles seizes the banner in the battle of Nuremberg" was purchased from him by the city of Berlin as a gift for Princess Louise of Prussia. The master also created stained glass windows for the Marienburg Castle in Prussia, some of which are now in Berlin's Old National Gallery.
Johann Peter Krafft was a German and Austrian painter of the mid-nineteenth century. He is known as a painter and graphic artist who specialized in genre, battle, portraiture and history painting. Krafft is believed to have had a significant influence on Austrian painting and was a leading portraitist of the Neoclassical style in Vienna. He later influenced the development of genre painting during the Viennese Biedermeier period.
Krafft co-founded the Vienna Artists' Union and was elected to the council of the Vienna Academy of Art in 1835. The artist also acted as a consultant for the protection of cultural monuments at Karlstein Castle in Bohemia.
Louis Jean-François Lagrenée was a French painter and engraver, celebrated for his classical and mythological scenes that resonated with the Rococo and Neoclassical styles. Born in Paris in 1724, Lagrenée's artistic journey was significantly shaped by his time in Rome, funded by his 1749 Prix de Rome win. This period allowed him to immerse himself in the works of 17th-century Bolognese artists, notably influencing his style which later earned him the nickname 'the French Albani'.
Lagrenée's career featured prominent directorial roles at prestigious institutions such as the St Petersburg Academy and the Académie de France à Rome. His works were frequent highlights at the Paris Salon, reflecting his stature in the French art scene. Among his notable works are 'The Rape of Dejanira' and 'Mars and Venus, an Allegory of Peace', showcasing his mastery in portraying emotion and narrative through art.
His paintings are held in esteemed collections worldwide, including the Getty Center and the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon. Pieces like 'Pygmalion and Galatea' and 'Venus and Nymphs Bathing' demonstrate his skill in blending dramatic narratives with exquisite detail.
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