British Pictures 2015

Back to Category Overview
1201 1201 1203 1203 1204 1204 1205 1205 1206 1206
Previous  
View full size
Next  
1208 1208 1209 1209 1210 1210 1211 1211 1212 1212 1213 1213 1214 1214 1216 1216 1217 1217 1218 1218 1219 1219 1220 1220 1221 1221 1222 1222 1223 1223 1224 1224 1225 1225 1226 1226 1227 1227 1228 1228 1230 1230 1231 1231 1232 1232 1233 1233 1234 1234 1235 1235 1236 1236 1237 1237 1238 1238 1239 1239 1240 1240 1241 1241 1244 1244 1245 1245 1246 1246 1247 1247 1248 1248 1249 1249 1251 1251 1252 1252 1253 1253 1254 1254 1255 1255 1256 1256 1257 1257 1258 1258 1259 1259 1260 1260 1261 1261 1262 1262 1263 1263 1264 1264 1265 1265 1266 1266 1267 1267 1268 1268 1269 1269 1270 1270 1272 1272 1273 1273

7. John William North, 1842-1924

Image information

Description

‘The Bat Begins with Giddy Wing’ - Barley Field over the Hedge

Watercolour and pencil with scratching out; initialled and dated 1885, labelled with title

11 1⁄2 x 17 3⁄4 inches

Additional Description
North took for his title a poem from a remarkable book by Thomas Forster (his Circle of the Seasons and Perpetual Key to the Calendar and Almanack, London, 1828, p 409) describing the ‘history, antiquities and natural phenomena of each day in the year’, in this case August 16th:

The Bat begins with giddy wing

His circuit round the shed and tree;

And clouds of dancing gnats to sing

A Summer night’s serenity.

North’s wanting ‘to make his drawings tingle and shimmer with light led him to paint multitudinous details melting together, with spots and particles of pure colour. His method can be compared with pointillisme; certainly, he was groping for method of expression which the French Impressionists developed more fully.’ (Martin Hardie)