The Art and Life of Poetic Landscape Painter Francis Danby

NOVEMBER 16, ON THIS DAY

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Irish painter Francis Danby belonged to the Romantic period. His vivid, dramatic landscapes were on par with John Martin\’s. Danby first honed his innovative approach while serving as the focal point of a group of painters known as the Bristol School. Francis Danby was born on November 16, 1793, in a little hamlet in South Ireland. When the Irish Rebellion broke out in 1798, Danby\’s family was forced to relocate to Dublin. Francis enrolled in Dublin Society\’s school to begin his studies. After enrolling in the Royal Dublin Society\’s drawing classes, he developed a deep enthusiasm and desire to become a painter. He started painting landscapes under James Arthur O\’Connor\’s guidance. In 1813, at the age of nineteen, Francis had his first painting, entitled Landscape – Evening, exhibited at the Society of Artists of Ireland and it was sold for fifteen guineas and with that princely sum Francis travelled to London in June 1813, along with Petrie and O’Connor, to see what the England capital had to offer young artists. Francis, like his two travelling companions, headed for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

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While establishing himself as the prominent figure of the Bristol school of landscape painters, he also worked hard on his more serious oil works, such as \”The Upas Poison-tree in the Island of Java,\” \”Disappointed Love,\” and \”The Delivery of the Israelites,\” which he exhibited in London to some acclaim and which led to his election as an Associate Member of the Royal Academy. During the early and mid-1820s, Danby turned from naturalistic landscapes to more narrative-based works.

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“Early Morning-The Fisherman’s Home”, by Francis Danby is a jaw-dropping beauty. Its outward look could be deceiving. Even while it is initially impressive, it appears sparse for a landscape at first glance—almost like a Turner. Such exact arrangements match the ethereal and lavish colour. As you go closer, much more detail is exposed without sacrificing the overall impact. It is amazing how everything else is there, almost buried, yet there is still so much going on yet everything is so calm. We can make out the home, the steps leading up to it, and the way it has been carved out of the rock. A route circles the lake, there are people, a boat and its cargo, a duck on the water, small ripples, a mountain peak in the distance, and more. He is known for lyrical, extremely dramatic landscape paintings such as The Upas Tree, An Enchanted Island, and The Deluge.

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Francis Danby ended his life journey on 10th February 1861 at Exmouth. His final painting, \”A Dewy dawn,\” was discovered on an easel after his passing. In his 63 years of existence, he only had 46 paintings on display. The majority of his works were fanciful and had little to do with actual nature. They were purely poetic in nature. He had a narrower scope, became well-known to the public for his brilliant sunset paintings, and was more well-known as a poetic painter.