Charles Lock Eastlake

Charles Lock Eastlake
Christ Lamenting over Jerusalem, one of Eastlake's most popular biblical paintings.

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake RA (17 November 1793 – 24 December 1865) was an English painter, gallery director, collector and writer of the early 19th century.

Contents

Early life

Born in Plymouth, Devon, southwest England, the fourth son of an Admiralty lawyer, Eastlake was educated at local grammar schools in Plymouth and, briefly, at Charterhouse, Surrey.

Career

Napoleon on the Bellerophon.

Set on becoming a painter, in 1809 he became the first pupil of Benjamin Haydon and a student at the Royal Academy schools in London — where he later exhibited.

However his first exhibited work was shown at the British Institution in 1815, a year in which he also visited Paris and studied works in the Louvre (then known as the Musée Napoléon). His first notable success was a painting Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound (1815; now in the National Maritime Museum, London). Like many other people at the time, Eastlake had hired a boat to take him to the ship on which Napoleon was held captive in Plymouth harbour. He sketched him from the boat.

In 1816, he travelled to Rome where he painted members of the British elite staying in Italy including fellow artists Sir Thomas Lawrence and J. M. W. Turner. He also travelled to Naples and Athens.

Despite being based predominantly in mainland Europe, Eastlake regularly sent works back to London for exhibition and in 1827 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy. Three years later, he returned to England permanently where he continued to paint historic and biblical paintings set in Mediterranean landscapes.

As an art scholar, he translated Goethe's Zur Farbenlehre (Theory of Colours, 1840) and the Handbuch der Geschichte der Malerei (Handbook of the History of Painting) by Franz Kugler. These publications and his reputation as an artist led to his nomination in 1841 to become secretary of the Fine Arts Commission, the body in charge of government art patronage. In his On Vision and Colors, § 14, Schopenhauer praised Eastlake's translation of Goethe. "Eastlake, the painter and gallery inspector, furnished his countrymen, in 1840, with such an excellent translation of Goethe's theory of color that it is a perfect reproduction of the original and reads more easily; in fact, it is understood more easily than the original."

Having already advised the National Gallery, London on acquisitions, he was appointed the Gallery's first Keeper in 1843, a post he later resigned to resume writing and painting.

In 1849 he married Elizabeth Rigby, an art historian and translator of German art histories, forming a formidable art history writing partnership.

Elected President of the Royal Academy and knighted in 1850, he became a notable figure in the British art establishment, being appointed the first President of the Photographic Society in 1853 and, in 1855, the first Director of the National Gallery. His directorship was marred by the signal failure of the National Gallery to fulfil the terms of the bequest of J.M.W.Turner, his erstwhile friend. Cambridge University awarded him an honorary degree in 1864.[1]

Funerary monument, Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

Legacy

Eastlake died in Pisa, Italy, on Christmas Eve, 1865, and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London. His will provided for the Gallery to purchase his own collection of paintings. Lady Eastlake also sold her husband's art history book collection to the Gallery's library.

See also

Publications

  • Materials for a History of Oil Painting (1847).
  • Contributions to the Literature of the Fine Arts (1848).

References

  1. ^ Eastlake, Charles Lock in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.

External links

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Eastlake, Sir Charles Lock". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Cultural offices
Preceded by
Sir Martin Archer Shee
President of the Royal Academy
1850–1865
Succeeded by
Sir Francis Grant

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charles Lock Eastlake — Christ Blessing Little Children (1839) Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (* 17. November 1793 in Plymouth; † 23. Dezember 1865 in Pisa) war ein englischer Maler und Kunstgelehrter …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Charles Lock Eastlake der Ältere — Christ Blessing Little Children (1839) Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (* 17. November 1793 in Plymouth; † 23. Dezember 1865 in Pisa) war ein englischer Maler und Kunstgelehrter …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eastlake, Sir Charles Lock — ▪ British painter born Nov. 17, 1793, Plymouth, Devon, Eng. died Dec. 24, 1865, Pisa, Italy       English Neoclassical painter who helped develop England s national collection of paintings.       Eastlake studied first under the English… …   Universalium

  • Eastlake — ist der Name mehrerer Personen: Caroline Eastlake, englische Malerin Charles Lock Eastlake der Ältere (1793–1865), englischer Maler und Schriftsteller Charles Lock Eastlake der Jüngere (1836–1906), englischer Architekt und Schriftsteller, Neffe… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eastlake — may refer to:Places in the United States*Eastlake, Colorado *Eastlake, Michigan *Eastlake, Ohio *Eastlake, Seattle, WashingtonEducation*Eastlake Middle School, Chula Vista, California, US *Eastlake High School, several schoolsPeople* Charles… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Holroyd — in 1896. Drawing by Alphonse Legros. Sir Charles Holroyd (9 April 1861 – 17 November 1917) was an English artist and curator. Contents 1 …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Eastlake — For the 19th century English painter, see Charles Lock Eastlake. Charles Locke Eastlake (1836–1906) was a British architect and furniture designer. Trained by the architect Philip Hardwick (1792–1870), he popularised William Morris s notions of… …   Wikipedia

  • Eastlake, Charles Locke — ▪ British author born March 11, 1836, Plymouth, Devon, Eng. died Nov. 20, 1906, London       English museologist and writer on art who gave his name to a 19th century furniture style.       The nephew of the Neoclassical painter Sir Charles Lock… …   Universalium

  • Charles Barry — For his son, also an architect, see Charles Barry, Jr.. For the Irish lawyer, see Charles Robert Barry. Sir Charles Barry Born 23 May 1795(1795 05 23) …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Saumarez Smith — For other people of the same name, see Charles Smith (disambiguation). Charles Saumarez Smith Born 28 May 1954 (1954 05 28) (age 57) Redlynch …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”