The Eighteenth Century

The Work

Horses are shown in the romanticized landscapes of an earlier time, touched with the soft light of England or the stronger sun of America. The features that earlier horsemen valued—small heads, arched necks, very large eyes, a fine Arabian-type muzzle, long legs—are emphasized, even exaggerated, as the eighteenth-century patron of the arts preferred. Poses, attitudes, and facial expressions are those popular in earlier times, and of course the horses’ tack and grooms’ attire are entirely period-correct. Horses’ coats display a soft gleam rather than the extreme shine of today’s sprayed and conditioned animals. Every detail, even to eighteenth-century farriery and grooming, is noted.

In particular, horses are depicted with the movement sporting artists showed before photography was invented and the gaits of horses became better understood.

These equine portraits are painted with the colors favored by equestrian artists of the past, a palette edited to Prussian blue, Naples yellow, yellow ochre, red ochre, burnt umber, and burnt sienna. Paints are ground in linseed or costly walnut oils for centuries-long flexibility and permanence. The only compromise in the paint selection was the avoidance of some truly toxic pigments and solvents used in prior centuries.

These traditional colors are applied to a canvas or linen substrate covered with acid-free primer and a grey or tan ground. The subject is initially worked with flat color and the details and true shadows are applied later, with thin dark glazes. Highlights are indicated with a scumbling of white or Naples yellow. Later, tinted varnishes may be applied to protect the surface and impart the patina of age.

No attempt is made to represent these works as antiques; new wood is used for the stretchers, new fabric provides the substrate, and the painting is discreetly signed and dated. There is no artificial craquellure, as this may have deleterious long-term effects on the work.

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Special Projects

Murals in the style of the eighteenth century may be composed entirely of imaginary or historic animals, people, and places, or they may depict your family, your hunt, your favorite horses and hounds. They may be applied directly to the wall with acrylic paint, as in this example. For reasons of time and expense, however, it may be preferable for the mural to be painted in oils on a large piece of canvas which is then mounted on your wall. This will make it possible to move or modify the mural at a later date, or even to cut it down and frame individual portions of the mural if your décor changes.