|
William Kidd H.R.S.A. (c.1796 – 24 December 1863) 〔Art in Scotland - Its Origin and Progress. By Robert Brydall, 1889.〕 was a prolific Scottish artist known for his comic depictions of cosy domestic scenes in romantic-era Scotland and England. He also illustrated works of various authors including Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns. == Early life == Little is known at this time of his family and early education. He was born in Scotland in 1796. At an early age he was apprenticed to James Howe (30 August 1780 – 11 July 1836) who was an Edinburgh artist known for his depictions of domestic animals. One of Kidd's earliest pieces, "''Cobbler's Shop'' by W. Kidd, aged 13 years, apprentice to J. Howe" was exhibited in Edinburgh in 1809 at the first exhibition of the Associated Artists.〔The Royal Scottish Academy 1826-1916. By W. D. McKay, R.S.A.〕〔The Scottish School of Painting. By W. D. McKay, R.S.A. 1906.〕 Other pieces of the period include ''The Travelling Showman'', ''Head of Cowgate'', ''Flesh Caddie'' and various portraits of horses which won him some slight praise from critics of the period.〔The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany. Remarks on the Edinburgh Exhibition of Painting, 1815, pg 334.〕 Kidd later apprenticed with Gavin Beugo, a house painter and decorator. David Roberts, R.A. was a fellow-apprentice of Beugo and lifelong friend.〔The Life of David Roberts, R.A.: compiled from his journals and other sources. By James Ballantine and David Roberts, 1866.〕 Kidd first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1817 and his pieces were seldom absent from the Academy until about 1840.〔Scottish painters: a critical study. By Walter Armstrong, 1888.〕 In approximately 1820, Kidd moved to London, as did many young aspiring artists of his time. Perhaps he was responding to the accolades from the critics who stated he: "…is on the high road to excellence in his particular department." 〔''The European Magazine and London Review'', June 1820, pg 509.〕 In the 1820s he began to explore and develop his comic depictions of domestic scenes. His clever humour and dramatic figure painting brought considerable praise and attracted the attention of many period authors and artists of note. His works of this period, 1820–1835, were compared to contemporary Sir David Wilkie, and many of his pieces were being turned into engravings for publications in books. Kidd was clearly influenced by the likes of Wilkie, William Allan and Alexander Carse; earlier proponents of the Scots genre painting. Kidd's paintings of the period are often bright displays of homely scenes of peasant life, "the peasant with a cosy cottage, where a certain comfort surrounds the perennial making of love and butter, excited his easy interest." 〔 His use of vibrant colours combined with a distracting use of cluttered detail brings a certain familiarity to his works so that the viewer has the distinct impression that they have seen the piece previously. The humour in Kidd's paintings is often subtle and unpretentious and maybe overlooked in the context of the myriad of details within his pieces. William D. McKay expressed it best when he wrote "most of Kidd's work, verging on vulgarity, shows much excellent painting in the central group. The composition suffers from the overcrowding of the subsidiary parts." 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Kidd (painter)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|