Thomas Fairland
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fairland was an English lithographer, engraver and portrait painter.
in London
. He subsequently became a student of the Royal Academy
under Henry Fuseli
and gained a silver medal for drawing from the cast of Hercules
which stood in the entrance hall of the Academy building. Turning his attention to line engraving
, he became a pupil of Charles Warren
but was more attracted by the new art of lithography
in which he produced some very good works. Among these may be noted:
A Volume of comic sketches, after William Henry Hunt
, attained great popularity. However, his most important work and one of the best ever executed in lithography, was the cartoon of the Virgin and Child (known as the Rodgers Madonna) by Raphael
.
Other subjects lithographed included "The Misers" (after Quentin Matsys
), "Napoleon crossing the Alps" (after Jacques-Louis David
), "Imogene" (after Richard Westall
), and various portraits. He also worked with artist William Barraud
to produce a volume called "The book of animals drawn from nature" (C. Tilt, 1846). However, owing to the decline of lithography due to foreign competition and the vagaries of fashion, Fairland now devoted himself to portrait painting, and enjoyed the patronage of many eminent people including royalty.
He struggled however with money and ill-health, and died from tuberculosis
(known then as Consumption) in October 1852, aged 49.
William Fairland, who it is thought was his brother, also practiced as a lithographer and executed "The Culprit detected" (after Robert Farrier - published 1831), "The Lovers Vigil" (after Robert Smirke
) and others. He also did work on anatomical subjects.
Life and work
Fairland showed an early interest in drawing and practiced from nature in Kensington GardensKensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. It is shared between the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The park covers an area of 111 hectares .The open spaces...
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...
. He subsequently became a student of 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...
under Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli was a British painter, draughtsman, and writer on art, of Swiss origin.-Biography:...
and gained a silver medal for drawing from the cast of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
which stood in the entrance hall of the Academy building. Turning his attention to line engraving
Line engraving
Line engraving is a term for engraved images printed on paper to be used as prints or illustrations. The term is now much less used and when is, it is mainly in connection with 18th or 19th century commercial illustrations for magazines and books, or reproductions of paintings.Steel engraving is...
, he became a pupil of Charles Warren
Charles Warren (engraver)
Charles Warren was an English line engraver.-Life and work:Warren was born in London, and of his early career the only facts recorded are that he married at the age of eighteen, and was at one time engaged in engraving on metal for calico printing...
but was more attracted by the new art of lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
in which he produced some very good works. Among these may be noted:
- "The recruit - or who'll serve the king", "The Village Champion" and "Left leg foremost (from pictures by Robert FarrierRobert FarrierRobert Farrier , was an English painter.Farrier was born in 1796 at Chelsea, and resided in that locality during the whole of his life. He was first placed for instruction under an engraver, but subsequently began to earn a living by painting portraits in miniature, and became a student at the...
, 1796-1879), - "The poacher's confederate" (after Charles Hancock, 1802-1877),
- "The Rat catcher" (after Abraham CooperAbraham CooperAbraham Cooper , English animal and battle painter, the son of a tobacconist, was born in London.At the age of thirteen he became an employee at Astley's Amphitheatre, and was afterwards groomed in the service of Sir Henry Meux...
), - "The Sportsman's Exhibition - a series of heads of the principal British sporting dogs" (from pictures by Sir Edwin Landseer, Abraham Cooper and Charles Hancock).
A Volume of comic sketches, after William Henry Hunt
William Henry Hunt (painter)
William Henry Hunt , was an English watercolour painter.He was born near Long Acre and was a resident of Marchmont Street, London, and was apprenticed in about 1805 to John Varley, the landscape-painter, with whom he remained five or six years. He exhibited three oil pictures at the Royal Academy...
, attained great popularity. However, his most important work and one of the best ever executed in lithography, was the cartoon of the Virgin and Child (known as the Rodgers Madonna) by Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
.
Other subjects lithographed included "The Misers" (after Quentin Matsys
Quentin Matsys
Quentin Matsys was a painter in the Flemish tradition and a founder of the Antwerp school. He was born at Leuven, where legend states he was trained as an ironsmith before becoming a painter...
), "Napoleon crossing the Alps" (after Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
), "Imogene" (after Richard Westall
Richard Westall
Richard Westall was an English painter and illustrator of portraits, historical and literary events, best-known for his portraits of Byron. He was also Queen Victoria's drawing master.-Life and works:...
), and various portraits. He also worked with artist William Barraud
William Barraud
William Barraud was an English animal painter and illustrator, the brother of Henry Barraud, with whom he collaborated on many works....
to produce a volume called "The book of animals drawn from nature" (C. Tilt, 1846). However, owing to the decline of lithography due to foreign competition and the vagaries of fashion, Fairland now devoted himself to portrait painting, and enjoyed the patronage of many eminent people including royalty.
He struggled however with money and ill-health, and died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
(known then as Consumption) in October 1852, aged 49.
William Fairland, who it is thought was his brother, also practiced as a lithographer and executed "The Culprit detected" (after Robert Farrier - published 1831), "The Lovers Vigil" (after Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (painter)
Robert Smirke , was an English painter and illustrator.-Life and work:Smirke was born at Wigton near Carlisle, the son of a clever but eccentric travelling artist. In his thirteenth year he was apprenticed in London with an heraldic painter, and, at the age of twenty, began to study at the schools...
) and others. He also did work on anatomical subjects.
External links
- Portraits lithographed by Thomas Fairland (National Portrait Gallery)
- Thomas Fairland on artnet