Chadbrook Cards

20/02/2022

08/02/2022

14/01/2022

We love this photo and we are thrilled that our cards are now available at Vintiners in Crouch End

07/12/2021

The Fight between Carnival and Lent depicts a common festival held in the Southern Netherlands. On the left side of the painting there is an inn, and in the right side of the painting there is a church. The juxtaposition is meant to illustrate the two sides of human nature: pleasure and religious chastity, and the contrast between the two.

https://chadbrookcards.com/?s=Pieter+Bruegel+the+Elder

01/12/2021

The iconic image of The Hay Wain by John Constable remains one of the most famous British paintings in history and also serves as an important milestone in the development of landscape art.

This famous piece from 1821 was originally titled, Landscape: Noon. Upon its unveiling, The Hay Wain was well received across Europe, helping to boost the reputation of the artist right across the continent. British art had long been living in the shadows of artists from France and Italy, and this was now the time for artists from the UK to gain recognition for their work.

Feature painting: The Hay Wain – John Constable 🖼️

30/11/2021

Drought – Eric Ravilious

Signed and dated Sept ‘33, Drought, depicts a scene during the severe drought experienced by much of southern Britain that year.

https://chadbrookcards.com/page/2/?s=Eric+Ravilious

29/11/2021

Maternal Caress - Marry Cassatt (1890–91)

“Maternal Caress” is one of many mother and child images for which Cassatt earned international renown. She initially experimented with the mother and child theme in the 1880s, inspired by the relationship between her sister-in-law and nephew. A decade later, Cassatt was regarded a specialist on the subject. Observing from real life, Cassatt developed the ability to capture a pose quickly, a necessary talent given the active nature of young children.

https://chadbrookcards.com/?s=Mary+Cassatt

26/11/2021

James Whistler was a notorious formalist, who’s pursuit of art for art’s sake led to his portraiture taking on monumental form. Here, his mother blurs the line between foreground and background in a strict composition of right angles, mirrored by her frighteningly severe expression. The piece’s formal title, Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, expressly defines the work as an art object, rather than a representation of a specific person. Naturally, this confused and purtubed it’s Victorian era audience, and so Whistler consented to a subtitle: Portrait of the Painter’s mother. Either way, this woman was clearly not to be trifled with.

Feature painting: Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Portrait of the Artist’s Mother) – James McNeill Whistler

25/11/2021

The Umbrellas – Pierre-Auguste Renoir ☂️

This work is painted in two different styles: the earlier part, which includes the figures on the right, was probably painted in 1881-2, while the left hand side, with the foreground couple, was painted in 1885-6. This protracted period of ex*****on is typical of Renoir's works of the 1880s, though the lack of a uniform style is unusual.

Further evidence for the respective datings is provided by the different fashions of the dresses (Renoir was generally accurate in such matters in his large modern life scenes). The right-hand figures are painted in light, feathered brushstrokes, which are characteristic of the artist's earlier Impressionist style, as are the sweet smiles of the child and woman.

24/11/2021

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose large, colourful posters were a familiar sight in Paris in the 1890s and remain popular to this day, has become a symbol of the Belle Epoque. A man of aristocratic background, he was a constant presence in the popular cafés, concert halls, and brothels of Montmartre as he sought escape from the despair brought on by physical handicaps. 🖼️

Featured Painting: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

23/11/2021

Olympia – Édouard Manet

This highly controversial composition was painted in 1863 and was exposed to the public for the first time two years later at the Paris Salon. It represents a n**e woman in a leisure pose with a servant bringing flowers; Manet's Olympia was embodied by Victorine Meurent (who later became an accomplished painter), while art model Laure posed as her servant. The daring look of a shameless woman caused quite a stir and the public considered this painting indecent since it displayed a s*x worker in her bo***ir. In relation to that is the fact that the very name Olympia was associated with s*x workers in 1860s Paris. Interestingly so, despite all the fuss painting provoked in 1890, the French government acquired Olympia after a public subscription led by Claude Monet.


#1860

22/11/2021

The Cradle by Berthe Morisot dates from 1872 and beautifully combines the two themes of Impressionism and life from a female perspective in the 19th century. Morisot always offered a unique viewpoint within this movement.

The figures captured in the scene titled The Cradle are Morisot's sister - Edma with her daughter, Blanche. The motherhood vibe continued throught out the artist's career and offered a satisfying break from the endless landscape paintings found in the Impressionist movement (whilst fully accepting the beauty and innovation of their work in that genre).