From the burning brands and oil lamps of the Greeks and Romans, to the soft light of candles, then in the 19th century came gaslights.
Whistler
A river cruise starting with JMW Turner at Maidenhead in the Berkshire countryside, and ending with Whistler at Battersea Bridge.
Paintings from Watteauto George Bellows showing this popular fashion accessory, sometimes used for surreptitious communication between lovers.
Grisaille – grey underpainting used to set the tone for a finished work – is like underwear, waiting for richly coloured clothes to go on top. Not in these paintings, though.
A grisaille turned into a trompe l’oeil, symphonies in white, making the transition to oil paints, an exercise for pupils, and vibrant primary colours.
As a primary colour, blue is essential in painting. The quest for the right blues has spanned the world and resulted in a succession of synthetic pigments which have influenced art.
List of all the artists and subjects covered in this series, with brief summary of each artist, sample painting, and links.
Initiated by Whistler from 1860, it became popular with artists returning from training in Paris in the 1880s, then Sargent, Sickert, and teachers Tonks and Clausen.
An American citizen like Whistler, he was based in London from 1886 until his death in 1925, and a close friend of Claude Monet.
A former surgeon, friends with Whistler, Sickert, Steer and Sargent. Influential teacher and one of the British Impressionists.
The Eclectic Light Company 