Thursday, December 29, 2016

Constantin Hansen Paintings in GeoCodedArt

Constantin Hansen (1804-1880) painted vivid scenes of what he saw in Italy, and seemed particularly attracted to atmosphere that differed from his native Scandinavia (though he also captured scenes in the company of his countrymen).
His paintings of locations, especially ancient monuments, are marked by a lack of human involvement in the scenes; his interest seemed to be strictly in the elegance of the lines, and how they contrasted with the ill-defined edges of natural materials.


The Arch of Septimius Severus and the Temple of Concord
by Constantin Hansen

Monday, December 26, 2016

Jacob Philipp Hackert Paintings Geocoded

Jacob Philipp Hackert (1737-1807) focused on natural, if idealized, outdoor settings;  he gave little attention to newer or ancient monuments around him as he moved about Italy.  Foliage was always a prominent feature, with a few figures included for perspective but not an effort to reflect societal life.  His scenes consistently reflected calm that could be gained by encountering nature: the tress arc gracefully, skies are fair, and water surfaces are pleasing.



View of Montesarchio
by Jacob Phillip Hackert

Friday, December 23, 2016

Paintings of Naples in GeocodedArt


The climate, culture,and dramatic, if ominous terrain, has long charmed visitors to this  city.  See it from every angle that painters have used to try to capture it, and its varied moods.  The whole of the Bay has inspired efforts to visually capture the atmosphere




Naples. View of the Darsena delle Galere
by Gaspar van Wittel

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

George Loring Brown Paintings in Italy

George Loring Brown (1814-1889) works have more of a look of a memory than a current field of view.  This is especially true in long view panoramas in Italy,  less so in paintings of his native New England: (though his White Mountain paintings all have just a perfect amount of fall color for accent).
The paintings in Italy evoke more of a collective memory than just his own: the glory that once was, and a reflection on what is lasting.  His views generally did not include any humans: maybe he regarded them as transitory also.

George Loring Brown paintings geocoded

View of the Temple of Peace in the Roman Forum
by George Loring Brown

Monday, December 19, 2016

Carl Rottmann Paintings Geocoded

Carl Rottmann (1798-1852) did numerous large scale works depicting heroic scenes of ancient times in Greece and southern Italy.  His view were expansive vistas with far horizons with scant evidence of current human habitation.  The wide open skies were perhaps a spur to the imagination of the viewer to contemplate what previously occurred on seemingly unchanging terrain.  In that they are not shown to be sites of activity today, they viewer could further suppose that they sites of the most important of contemporary human activities have moved from those sites.



Island of Delos
by Carl Rottmann

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Paintings of Taormina in Geocoded Art

Many artists have been attracted to, and felt moved to capture on canvas, the stunning sites of the ruins on Sicily.  Its dramatic setting, perched above the sea in the first range of cliffs in the northeast of the island, was an appropriate place for the drama performed in the theater.  The skeleton of that theater was most often the subject of the painters, as they tried to evoke the long-silences voices.

Greek Theater at Taormina
by William Stanley Haseltine

Friday, December 16, 2016

Thomas Patch Paintings in GeocodedArt.com

Thomas Patch (1725-1782) painted pleasing scenes in and around Florence; they appear to be suitable for decorating the sorts of interiors that he painted more numerously (along with many figure studies of his social circle).    

The views that he painted were done with a slightly different perspective than what was commonly painted by others: looking at a bridge from a different direction, or from a greater distance. 


A view of the Arno, Florence, from the Cascine Gardens
by Thomas Patch

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Twenty Artists' Paintings of Tivoli Geocoded

For thousands of years, the natural drama of the waterfalls of the River Aniene have drawn visitors, builders of dream homes, and those seeking spiritual connections.  Landscape painters have followed in large numbers, vying to capture the phenomenon of falling water or to capture the atmosphere of a unique place.   The terrain affords the wealthy builder of villas a chance to creates naturally powered fountains and scenic pools that make their get-away dwelling a refreshing relief from the hot house that is Rome.



Tivoli 
by Francois-Marius Granet

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Paintings in GeoCodedArt

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783-1853) painted architecturally specific views of sites in Rome just as he saw them, and included just as much detail on the people moving past his locations, whatever their state of decay.  Most of his works have a crystal clear light more common to his native Denmark, rather than the golden glow that is associated with Rome.
For an artist whose renderings of buildings had the precision of a draftsman, he did as many fine works capturing human forms in a wide range of natural states;  most are not in formal poses though portraits are also part of his varied catalog.  In later years, and on return to northern climates, he did a number of marine works, again faithfully detailing the features of large ships that were essential to their good function.

The Stairs to the Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome
by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Franz Ludwig Catel Paintings in Geocoded Art

Franz Ludwig Catel (1778–1856) painted scenes in Rome and southern Italy that have a sentimental fondness for a land warmed by the sun, where life is lived at a pace that is not likely to wear one out.  His views are overwhelmingly in brown and yellow tones, as if every site he visited is stuck on yellowing pages of past glory.  The way of life is a prominent feature in these works, not just natural beauty, nor the imposing architecture. They contribute to what makes a scene worth memorializing, but the way one spends their time while there, and the way it feels to be under the warm Italian sun, make for a more charming reflection.


View of Amalfi from the Gulf of Salerno
by Franz Ludwig Catel 

Monday, December 12, 2016

Thomas Jones Paintings Geocoded

Thomas Jones (1743-1803) painted dramatic nature scenes in his native Wales before rendering a series of works in the south of Italy.  There his choice of subjects might be characterized as views that are  "off the beaten track".  Each of his works around Naples is named with detail as to its location, but the views are unexpected ones, with buildings partially obscured, lacking the majestic profiles of the famous landmarks. They have a freshness, though, that permits the viewer to get a strong sense of being there, and getting the feeling that travelers often experience: looking more at the side of a building than one might like, and wondering if a better view might be possible.


Buildings in Naples with the North-East side of the Castle Nuovoby Thomas Jones