Auguste Bonheur
The paintings in the collection of the Dahesh Museum of Art represent a broad range of subject matter. The 19th century academy followed the traditions of drawing the ideal human form from the 17th and 18th centuries. Thus, many of the artworks on view represent the human form. Technical artistic standards were still of utmost importance but the academies fostered and valued a strict hierarchy of themes, including classical, religious, mythological, and allegorical subjects at the top. So what do we make of the other genres of landscape or still life that were considered of lesser importance?
A painting by Auguste Bonheur (French, 1824-1884),
Cattle by a Lake, is one such image. It could be classified as an animal or a landscape painting, the two lowest ranked genres of academic art. While not held high academically speaking, these images were appreciated by the public and were often produced by small groups or schools of like mined painters. Auguste Bonheur was in good company painting such imagery; his father was a landscape painter as was his sister
Rosa Bonheur.
For additional works by Auguste Bonheur,
click here.
Posted by Education Manager Jim Daichendt
The Houses of Parliament, Westminster
The Dahesh Museum of Art recently re-hung its permanent collection (open to the public on May 3, 2007). Included within the exhibition are several artworks that have not been on display for an extended period of time. One of the notable additions is by the artist David Roberts titled
The Houses of Parliament, Westminster. The painting depicts the oldest part of Parliament, where the walls date back to 1097 (rebuilt in the 14th century and 19th century after a fire destroyed much of the old palace). To learn more about the history visit the official website of
Parliament.
In Roberts’ painting, the viewer’s perspective is overlooking the Thames where a few boats meander into the foreground. This view has been recaptured a number of times by artists including Joseph Mallord Turner’s
Burning of the Houses of Parliament and a series by Claude
Monet.
The painting by Roberts at the Dahesh is an anomaly in respect to his oeuvre. He is most well known for his images of Egypt and the Holy Land, where he traveled to paint the monuments, architecture, and people. Later reproduced as hand-colored lithographs, his works are still sought after by collectors as some of the most popular illustrations of Egypt. To learn more about Roberts
click here.
Posted by Education Manager Jim Daichendt
