The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (144 page)
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Dou , Gerrit
(1613–75).
Dutch painter. He was born and active in Leiden and in 1628 became the first pupil of the young
Rembrandt
, basing his early work closely on his master's. After Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, Dou developed a style of his own, painting usually on a small scale, with a surface of almost enamelled smoothness. He was astonishingly fastidious about his tools and working conditions, with a particular horror of dust. Some of his pictures were painted with the aid of a magnifying glass. He painted numerous subjects, but is best known for domestic interiors. They usually contain only a few figures framed by a window or by the drapery of a curtain, and surrounded by books, musical instruments, or household paraphernalia, all minutely depicted. He is at his best in scenes lit by artificial light. With Jan
Steen
, Dou was among the founders of the Guild of St Luke at Leiden in 1648. Unlike Steen he was prosperous and respected throughout his life, and his pictures continued to fetch big prices (consistently higher than those paid for Rembrandt's work) until the advent of
Impressionism
influenced taste against the neatness and precision of his style. Dou had a workshop with many pupils who perpetuated his style (notably
Schalken
)—and Leiden continued the
fijnschilder
(fine painter) tradition until the 19th cent.
Dutch painter. He was born and active in Leiden and in 1628 became the first pupil of the young
Rembrandt
, basing his early work closely on his master's. After Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, Dou developed a style of his own, painting usually on a small scale, with a surface of almost enamelled smoothness. He was astonishingly fastidious about his tools and working conditions, with a particular horror of dust. Some of his pictures were painted with the aid of a magnifying glass. He painted numerous subjects, but is best known for domestic interiors. They usually contain only a few figures framed by a window or by the drapery of a curtain, and surrounded by books, musical instruments, or household paraphernalia, all minutely depicted. He is at his best in scenes lit by artificial light. With Jan
Steen
, Dou was among the founders of the Guild of St Luke at Leiden in 1648. Unlike Steen he was prosperous and respected throughout his life, and his pictures continued to fetch big prices (consistently higher than those paid for Rembrandt's work) until the advent of
Impressionism
influenced taste against the neatness and precision of his style. Dou had a workshop with many pupils who perpetuated his style (notably
Schalken
)—and Leiden continued the
fijnschilder
(fine painter) tradition until the 19th cent.
Doughty , Thomas
(1793–1856).
American painter and lithographer, one of the first American artists to specialize exclusively in landscapes. He was born in Philadelphia and mainly lived there, but also in Boston and New York. In 1837 and again in 1845 he travelled to Europe, visiting England on both occasions. As one of the first to recognize the American landscape as a viable subject for painting, he is regarded as a forerunner of the
Hudson River School
. His best-known painting is probably
In Nature's Wonderland
(Detroit Inst. of Arts, 1835).
American painter and lithographer, one of the first American artists to specialize exclusively in landscapes. He was born in Philadelphia and mainly lived there, but also in Boston and New York. In 1837 and again in 1845 he travelled to Europe, visiting England on both occasions. As one of the first to recognize the American landscape as a viable subject for painting, he is regarded as a forerunner of the
Hudson River School
. His best-known painting is probably
In Nature's Wonderland
(Detroit Inst. of Arts, 1835).
Dove , Arthur
(1880–1946).
American painter. For most of his career he earned his living as a commercial illustrator and he was often in great financial difficulty (even though he was supported by
Stieglitz
and Duncan
Phillips
). He visited Europe in 1907–9, coming into contact with
Fauvism
and other avant-garde movements, and in 1910 painted the first abstract pictures in American art (
Abstraction No 1–Abstraction No 6
, private coll.), which are somewhat similar to
Kandinsky's
work of the same time. He never exhibited these in his lifetime, but he displayed similar work at his first one-man exhibition at Stieglitz's 291 Galley in 1912. Typically his abstractions are based on natural forms, suggesting the rhythms of nature with their pulsating shapes (
Sand Barge
, Phillips Coll., Washington, 1930). In the 1940s he experimented with a more geometric type of abstraction (
That Red One
, William H. Lane Foundation, Leominster, Mass., 1944). In his later years he took a leading part in the campaign to win artists royalty rights for the reproduction of their work.
American painter. For most of his career he earned his living as a commercial illustrator and he was often in great financial difficulty (even though he was supported by
Stieglitz
and Duncan
Phillips
). He visited Europe in 1907–9, coming into contact with
Fauvism
and other avant-garde movements, and in 1910 painted the first abstract pictures in American art (
Abstraction No 1–Abstraction No 6
, private coll.), which are somewhat similar to
Kandinsky's
work of the same time. He never exhibited these in his lifetime, but he displayed similar work at his first one-man exhibition at Stieglitz's 291 Galley in 1912. Typically his abstractions are based on natural forms, suggesting the rhythms of nature with their pulsating shapes (
Sand Barge
, Phillips Coll., Washington, 1930). In the 1940s he experimented with a more geometric type of abstraction (
That Red One
, William H. Lane Foundation, Leominster, Mass., 1944). In his later years he took a leading part in the campaign to win artists royalty rights for the reproduction of their work.
Downman , John
(
c.
1750–1824).
English portrait painter. Most of his paintings are small society portraits, many of them being in a technique he perfected using pencil or charcoal lightly tinted with watercolour (four examples of the type are in the Wallace Collection, London). He practised in Cambridge, Chester, Exeter, London, Plymouth, and Wrexham and travelled widely about the country, staying in great houses and often painting a series of portraits of members of the family.
c.
1750–1824).
English portrait painter. Most of his paintings are small society portraits, many of them being in a technique he perfected using pencil or charcoal lightly tinted with watercolour (four examples of the type are in the Wallace Collection, London). He practised in Cambridge, Chester, Exeter, London, Plymouth, and Wrexham and travelled widely about the country, staying in great houses and often painting a series of portraits of members of the family.
Dreier , Katherine S.
(1877–1952).
American painter, patron, and collector, a wealthy heiress remembered mainly for her missionary zeal in organizing exhibitions of modern art. She became an ardent supporter of avant-garde art as a result of the
Armory Show
, where she met Marcel
Duchamp
, and in 1920 together with him and
Man Ray
she founded the
Société Anonyme
. ‘A domineering woman of tireless energy and Wagnerian proportions, she was the antithesis of Duchamp in every possible way, and they got along famously’ (Calvin Tomkins,
The World of Marcel Duchamp
, 1966). The travelling exhibitions that she organized through the Société Anonyme were a potent factor in bringing a knowledge of European avant-garde art to the USA. Her portrait of Duchamp (1918) is in The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
American painter, patron, and collector, a wealthy heiress remembered mainly for her missionary zeal in organizing exhibitions of modern art. She became an ardent supporter of avant-garde art as a result of the
Armory Show
, where she met Marcel
Duchamp
, and in 1920 together with him and
Man Ray
she founded the
Société Anonyme
. ‘A domineering woman of tireless energy and Wagnerian proportions, she was the antithesis of Duchamp in every possible way, and they got along famously’ (Calvin Tomkins,
The World of Marcel Duchamp
, 1966). The travelling exhibitions that she organized through the Société Anonyme were a potent factor in bringing a knowledge of European avant-garde art to the USA. Her portrait of Duchamp (1918) is in The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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