To appreciate the Liverpudlian artist that is George Stubbs, you should know the artist’s background, early works, and most famous paintings. Read on to learn more about this renowned artist.
George Stubbs Background
George Stubbs was born in Liverpool. Although he didn’t always want to be an artist his profession gave him a natural talent and his prowess for painting horse anatomy led him to publish great books and some of his most profound work. Check out some of the great destinations to visit in Liverpool on this article.
The early works of George Stubbs show his unusual background, beginning at an early age when his father, a leather worker, was not a very well-educated man. At age twenty, he moved to York, where he studied anatomy in the county hospital. This unusual background allowed him to learn from the inside out, and his work is an extraordinary example of this. His earliest surviving paintings show a foetus in the womb of a dead woman, which may have been commissioned by his owner.
The second marquess of Rockingham was one of the early patrons of George Stubbs. The marquess, who had twice been prime minister, found private pleasure in stud farms and strings of racehorses. He commissioned Stubbs to paint twelve pictures of horses, ranging from a racehorse with a windmill in the background to five staghounds against a hilly landscape. Most of Stubbs’s paintings are extant, and many of them survive.
Early works
Although his reputation suffered with the advent of modernism, George Stubbs’ early works were highly regarded. The paintings in this exhibition display a range of subject matter, from a horse and a strong figure to picturesque landscapes. While these paintings are not considered “masterpieces,” they nonetheless reveal an innate talent for artistic interpretation. A look at some of his best-known works will give you an idea of the range of styles he explored.
Famous works
Throughout his career, George Stubbs created a wide range of works. The artist exhibited at a variety of prestigious exhibitions, attracting aristocratic patrons such as the Duke of Richmond. His most famous work is Whistlejacket, showcasing a bucking horse, which can be seen at the National Gallery in London. Stubbs also produced numerous print works that were prized by other artists.
Influence of Josiah Wedgwood
The influence of Josiah Wedgware on the landscapes of rural Britain is inescapable. Stubbs’ subjects, particularly the horse and lion, were often set in the wild rocky landscape of Nottinghamshire. His paintings were often composed with billowing clouds as counterpoints to the tension of a waiting hound or hunter.
Method of painting
The Method of George Stubbs paintings began many years ago. Artists at this time used non-flammable paints and applied them to solid supports to carry them through a furnace. Stubbs primarily used copper supports from 1769 to 1775. The resulting painting was considered unique at the time. The method was improved in the 1790s by Stubbs’s patronage of the Prince of Wales, who was later to become George IV.