Sporting Artists
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About Sporting Artists
Description of Sporting Artists |
Sporting Artists
Sporting art is an umbrella term that encompasses images of rural leisure activities. This includes horses at the hunt and at the race, hounds at the hunt, bird hunting, game hunting and fishing. Sporting art began in the 18th century, when patrons commissioned paintings of their horses and hounds. These images show dogs and horses hunting; or depict the event of horseracing. Because these activities were leisurely, they were almost exclusively reserved for the upper
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Sporting Artists
Sporting art is an umbrella term that encompasses images of rural leisure activities. This includes horses at the hunt and at the race, hounds at the hunt, bird hunting, game hunting and fishing. Sporting art began in the 18th century, when patrons commissioned paintings of their horses and hounds. These images show dogs and horses hunting; or depict the event of horseracing. Because these activities were leisurely, they were almost exclusively reserved for the upper class.
However, in the 19th century, many people moved from the country to the city, and the depiction of rural leisure became less popular. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to a new middle class, as well as more affordable printing techniques. This allowed for the middle class to purchase inexpensive prints of sporting art from the 18th century. While the rest of the sporting art genre seemed to go into a decline, horse portraiture thrived. Although it started as a rather elitist activity, by the late 18th century horse racing had grown to involve all social classes. Racehorses were held in the highest regard, and owners often commissioned portraits to show off their prized winners.
While artists were depicting animals in their paintings in the 19th century, the animals were mostly either wild or shown in extravagant interiors. With the rise in popularity of art movements such as Impressionism, sporting art was nearly forgotten. In the 20th century, collectors such as Paul Mellon began to show an interest in sporting art. Art historians shifted their focus from the Old Masters to lesser-known artists, such as those who depicted the sporting art of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Sporting artists usually depict one element of the genre. For example, Frank Benson often depicts ducks and duck hunting. Percival Leonard Rosseau is famous for his images of hunting dogs. John Frederick Herring often creates paintings of horses racing. Other artists, such as Nathaniel Currier and Aiden Lassell Ripley mainly show picturesque views of the countryside, often with a horse grazing in the distance, or a hunter reloading his gun.
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