His family name wasn’t Tassi, he planned to steal paintings, intended to murder his wife, had an adulterous affair with his sister-in-law, and raped Artemisia Gentileschi. But he has one redeeming feature.
landscape
How northern landscape painting was taken to Italy, and started its long journey to acceptance, and eventually Impressionism.
Although few of his finished paintings survive, he was a major influence on John Constable and others, and some of his techniques were not exploited until the 20th century.
Are they part of a narrative, or staffage? Do they provide scale, or enhance the effect? Are the figures part of the landscape, or even the landscape itself?
Where land, sea, and sky meet. Sought-after and hugely popular in fine weather, the forces of nature are most obvious in storms. The cradle of Impressionism and more modern painting.
Painters of the early northern Renaissance founded modern Western landscape painting, and developed the first examples of staffage.
Among his last paintings are six superb landscapes, painted for his pleasure. What a wonderful end to such an illustrious career.
When a landscape artist finds it hard to paint figures well, there is one good solution: work with a figurative painter. The results can be spectacular.
He painted a series of narratives drawn from the Bible and other sources, and 32 watercolours of ‘Passions’ over this period.
An extended tour of the Middle East proves exhausting, but results in two outstanding paintings. Then Dadd’s world falls apart.
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