Tag: Grand Manner

Category: Painting Attribute


I have formerly observed that perfect form is produced by leaving out particularities, and retaining only the general ideas ... this principle, which I have proved to be metaphysically just, extends itself to every part of the art; that it gives what is called the grand style to invention, to composition, to expression, and even to colouring and drapery. - Joshua Reynolds to the students of the Royal Academy, 10 December 1771

Eighteenth-century British artists and patrons used the terms "Grand Manner" or "Great Style" to describe paintings that utilized visual metaphors. By extension, the Grand Manner came to include portraiture - especially at full length and in life size - accompanied by settings and accessories that conveyed the dignified status of the sitters. Classical architecture, for instance, signified one's civilized demeanor, whole woodland glens implied natural sincerity.

The postures and gestures in Grand Manner portraits were often derived from ancient Roman sculpture or Italian Renaissance paintings. Another major precedent was early seventeenth-century English court portraiture by the two Flemish masters knighted by King Charles I, Sir Peter Paul Rubens and Sir Anthony van Dyck. The connoisseur was expected to appreciate these artistic sources and their subtle references, just as educated readers were assumed to recognize authors' quotations form earlier literature. - National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC.


Works

CompositionKindCreatorAsNotedIn
CompositionKindCreatorAsNotedIn
George Washington (Lansdowne) Painting


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