Catalogue Of The Plates Of Turners Liber Studiorum

Author : W. G. Rawlinson
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781983698453
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (984 download)

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Download or read book Turner's Liber Studiorum written by W. G. Rawlinson and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-09 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THIS is an interesting contribution to Turnerian literature, and as a catalogue raisonné of these remarkable plates will be very useful to the print collector. It has grown out of an exhibition held by the Burlington Fine Arts Club, in 1872, of Turner's Liber Studiorum, at which time a hand-book for visitors was issued; and upon this Mr. Rawlinson has built the present volume, as the Rev. Mr. Middleton, in his Etched Work of Rembrandt, built upon Mr. Seymour Haden's monograph, prepared for one of the same club's displays. These volumes show the result and value of systematic and judicious selections of art work, properly brought together and arranged for inspection and study. Having, in Turner, the Dream Painter, considered the artist in all the varying phases of his singular life and genius, we shall not here touch upon the subject. Mr. Rawlinson gives in his Introduction the history of the conception, execution, and publication of the original plates, from 1807 to 1819, which form the collection of landscape compositions known by the title-name. He carefully and intelligently discusses the subjects of the prints, the engravers employed and the method of the work, from the etching to the finished plate, the printing, states, manner of publication, and scale of values of the different impressions, winding up with a consideration of the reproductions that have appeared. That Turner's Liber Studiorum was suggested by Claude's Liber Veritatis, and undertaken in direct rivalry with that work, there appears to be little room for doubt. That Turner looked upon Claude as his only rival in landscape art is evidenced by his leaving certain pictures to the nation, on condition that they should be hung immediately alongside of those by Claude. The original intention of Turner was that one hundred plates should be issued, but the venture was financially unsuccessful, and no more than seventy-one appeared. The designs for the remaining twenty-nine were, however, made, and some of them partially put upon the copper, these being found among the artist's effects after his death. Turner was dishonest in the publication of many of the plates, selling late and worn impressions of favorites for proofs and artist's proofs. The present work, therefore, becomes an invaluable detective. -- The American Art Review, Volume 1