Francis Danby
Encyclopedia
Francis Danby was an Irish painter of the Romantic
era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes
were comparable to those of John Martin
. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the central figure in a group of artists who have come to be known as the Bristol School
. His period of greatest success was in London
in the 1820s.
, he was one of a set of twins; his father, James Danby, farmed a small property he owned near Wexford
, but his death, in 1807, caused the family to move to Dublin, while Francis was still a schoolboy. He began to practice drawing at the Royal Dublin Society's schools; and under an erratic young artist named James Arthur O'Connor
he began painting landscapes. Danby also made acquaintance with George Petrie.
In 1813 Danby left for London together with O'Connor and Petrie. This expedition, undertaken with very inadequate funds, quickly came to an end, and they had to get home again by walking. At Bristol
they made a pause, and Danby, finding he could get trifling sums for water-color drawings, remained there working diligently and sending to the London exhibitions pictures of importance. There his large oil paintings quickly attracted attention.
From around 1818/19, Danby was a member of the informal group of artists which has become known as the Bristol School
, taking part in their evening sketching meetings and sketching excursions visiting local scenery. His View of the Avon Gorge (1822) depicts figures sketching in a location favoured by the group. He remained connected with members of the Bristol School for around a decade, even after leaving Bristol in 1824.
The group had initially formed around Edward Bird
, and Danby would eventually succeed Bird as its central figure. Bird's genre painting had a naturalistic style and fresh colours, and his influence has been seen on Danby's style. Examples are Danby's treatment of figures in Boys Sailing a Little Boat (c. 1821) and The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt (1825). Danby was also close to Edward Villiers Rippingille
, whose style developed alongside that of Danby under the influence of Bird.
The Bristol artists, particularly the amateur Francis Gold, were also important in influencing Danby towards a more imaginative and poetical style. George Cumberland
, another of the amateurs, had influential London connections. In 1820 when Francis Danby exhibited The Upas Tree of Java at the British Institution
, Cumberland used his influence to promote its favourable reception. There is also evidence from their correspondence that Cumberland suggested subjects for Danby to paint. Cumberland was a close friend of William Blake
, and it has been suggested that Blake's work may also have had some influence on Danby, for example in Danby's second exhibited painting, Disappointed Love, shown at the Royal Academy
in 1821.
Danby's atmospheric work An Enchanted Island, successfully exhibited in 1825 at the British Institution
and then back in Bristol at the Bristol Institution, was in turn particularly influential on other Bristol School artists.
. He left Bristol for London, and in 1828 exhibited his Opening of the Sixth Seal at the British Institution
, receiving from that body a prize of 200 guineas; and this picture was followed by two others on the theme of the Apocalypse.
Danby painted "vast illusionist canvases" comparable to those of John Martin — of "grand, gloomy and fantastic subjects which chimed exactly with the Byronic taste of the 1820s."
. Danby left London, declaring that he would never live there again, and that the Academy, instead of aiding him, had, somehow or other, used him badly. For a decade he lived on the Lake of Geneva in Switzerland
, becoming a Bohemian
with boat-building fancies, painting only now and then. He later moved to Paris for a short period of time.
He returned to England in 1840, when his sons, James and Thomas, both artists, were growing up. Danby exhibited his large (15 feet wide) and powerful The Deluge that year; the success of that painting, "the largest and most dramatic of all his Martinesque visions," revitalized his reputation and career. Other pictures by him were The Golden Age (c. 1827, exhibited 1831), Rich and Rare Were the Gems She Wore (1837), and The Evening Gun (1848).
Some of Danby's later paintings, like The Woodnymph's Hymn to the Rising Sun (1845), tended toward a calmer, more restrained, more cheerful manner than those in his earlier style; but he returned to his early mode for The Shipwreck (1859). He lived his final years at Exmouth
in Devon, where he died in 1861. Along with John Martin and J. M. W. Turner
, Danby is considered among the leading British artists of the Romantic period.
Both of Danby's sons were landscape painters. The elder, James Francis Danby
(1816–75), exhibited at the Royal Academy. "He excelled in depicting sunrise and sunset." The younger, Thomas Danby
(1817–86), specialized in watercolors of Welsh scenes. In 1866, the latter was nominated as an Associate of the Royal Academy, but missed election by one vote.
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
were comparable to those of John Martin
John Martin (painter)
John Martin was an English Romantic painter, engraver and illustrator.-Biography:Martin was born in July 1789, in a one-room family cottage, at Haydon Bridge, near Hexham in Northumberland, the 4th son of Fenwick Martin, a one time fencing master...
. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the central figure in a group of artists who have come to be known as the Bristol School
Bristol School
The Bristol School is a term applied retrospectively to describe the informal association and works of a group of artists working in Bristol, England, in the early 19th century. It was mainly active in the 1820s, although the origins and influences of the school have been traced over the...
. His period of greatest success was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1820s.
Early life
Born in the south of IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, he was one of a set of twins; his father, James Danby, farmed a small property he owned near Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
, but his death, in 1807, caused the family to move to Dublin, while Francis was still a schoolboy. He began to practice drawing at the Royal Dublin Society's schools; and under an erratic young artist named James Arthur O'Connor
James Arthur O'Connor
James Arthur O'Connor was an Irish painter.-Career:James Arthur O'Connor was born 15 Aston's Quay, Dublin – the son of an engraver and printer, William O'Connor. O'Connor would become a distinguished landscape painter. He was self-taught, receiving just a few lessons from William Sadler...
he began painting landscapes. Danby also made acquaintance with George Petrie.
In 1813 Danby left for London together with O'Connor and Petrie. This expedition, undertaken with very inadequate funds, quickly came to an end, and they had to get home again by walking. At Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
they made a pause, and Danby, finding he could get trifling sums for water-color drawings, remained there working diligently and sending to the London exhibitions pictures of importance. There his large oil paintings quickly attracted attention.
Bristol School
Bristol School
The Bristol School is a term applied retrospectively to describe the informal association and works of a group of artists working in Bristol, England, in the early 19th century. It was mainly active in the 1820s, although the origins and influences of the school have been traced over the...
, taking part in their evening sketching meetings and sketching excursions visiting local scenery. His View of the Avon Gorge (1822) depicts figures sketching in a location favoured by the group. He remained connected with members of the Bristol School for around a decade, even after leaving Bristol in 1824.
The group had initially formed around Edward Bird
Edward Bird
Edward Bird was an English genre painter who spent most of his working life in Bristol, where the Bristol School of artists formed around him....
, and Danby would eventually succeed Bird as its central figure. Bird's genre painting had a naturalistic style and fresh colours, and his influence has been seen on Danby's style. Examples are Danby's treatment of figures in Boys Sailing a Little Boat (c. 1821) and The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt (1825). Danby was also close to Edward Villiers Rippingille
Edward Villiers Rippingille
-External links:*...
, whose style developed alongside that of Danby under the influence of Bird.
The Bristol artists, particularly the amateur Francis Gold, were also important in influencing Danby towards a more imaginative and poetical style. George Cumberland
George Cumberland
George Cumberland was an English art collector, writer and poet. He was a lifelong friend and supporter of William Blake, and like him was an experimental printmaker. He was also an amateur watercolourist, and one of the earliest members of the Bristol School of artists...
, another of the amateurs, had influential London connections. In 1820 when Francis Danby exhibited The Upas Tree of Java at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
, Cumberland used his influence to promote its favourable reception. There is also evidence from their correspondence that Cumberland suggested subjects for Danby to paint. Cumberland was a close friend of William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, and it has been suggested that Blake's work may also have had some influence on Danby, for example in Danby's second exhibited painting, Disappointed Love, shown at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1821.
Danby's atmospheric work An Enchanted Island, successfully exhibited in 1825 at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
and then back in Bristol at the Bristol Institution, was in turn particularly influential on other Bristol School artists.
Success
The Upas Tree (1820) and The Delivery of Israel (1825) brought him his election as an Associate Member of the Royal AcademyRoyal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. He left Bristol for London, and in 1828 exhibited his Opening of the Sixth Seal at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
, receiving from that body a prize of 200 guineas; and this picture was followed by two others on the theme of the Apocalypse.
Danby painted "vast illusionist canvases" comparable to those of John Martin — of "grand, gloomy and fantastic subjects which chimed exactly with the Byronic taste of the 1820s."
Later years
In 1829 Danby's wife deserted him, running off with the painter Paul Falconer PoolePaul Falconer Poole
Paul Falconer Poole was an English subject and genre painter born in Bristol.-Life and work:Though self-taught his fine feeling for colour, poetic sympathy and dramatic power gained for him a high position among British artists. He exhibited his first work in the Royal Academy at the age of...
. Danby left London, declaring that he would never live there again, and that the Academy, instead of aiding him, had, somehow or other, used him badly. For a decade he lived on the Lake of Geneva in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, becoming a Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
with boat-building fancies, painting only now and then. He later moved to Paris for a short period of time.
He returned to England in 1840, when his sons, James and Thomas, both artists, were growing up. Danby exhibited his large (15 feet wide) and powerful The Deluge that year; the success of that painting, "the largest and most dramatic of all his Martinesque visions," revitalized his reputation and career. Other pictures by him were The Golden Age (c. 1827, exhibited 1831), Rich and Rare Were the Gems She Wore (1837), and The Evening Gun (1848).
Some of Danby's later paintings, like The Woodnymph's Hymn to the Rising Sun (1845), tended toward a calmer, more restrained, more cheerful manner than those in his earlier style; but he returned to his early mode for The Shipwreck (1859). He lived his final years at Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...
in Devon, where he died in 1861. Along with John Martin and J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
, Danby is considered among the leading British artists of the Romantic period.
Both of Danby's sons were landscape painters. The elder, James Francis Danby
James Francis Danby
James Francis Danby, an English landscape painter, the son of Francis Danby, A.R.A., was born at Bristol in 1816. His works appeared at the Royal Academy, and at the Society of British Artists, of which latter he was a member. He died of apoplexy in London in 1875. He excelled in depicting sunrise...
(1816–75), exhibited at the Royal Academy. "He excelled in depicting sunrise and sunset." The younger, Thomas Danby
Thomas Danby (artist)
Thomas Danby was an English landscape painter.Danby was born, it is thought, in Bristol in south-west England, the younger son of Francis Danby . He had an elder brother, James Francis Danby who also became a landscape painter...
(1817–86), specialized in watercolors of Welsh scenes. In 1866, the latter was nominated as an Associate of the Royal Academy, but missed election by one vote.