Lost in a Fog...
“Before Turner there was no fog in London..” ― Oscar Wilde
Today was a nothing grey foggy day, with as much ado about nothing...
London is too full of fogs and - and serious people : .[Spoiler (click to open)]
"London is too full of fogs and - and serious people, Lord Windermere. Whether the fogs produce the serious people or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don’t know." - Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mrs. Erlynne, Act 4
Persons: Cyril and Vivian.
Scene: the library of a country house in Nottinghamshire
The Decay of Lying : https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/steen/cogweb/Abstracts/Wilde_1889.html
London Fog / From James Buntag, Twitter
The art critic and historian John Ruskin (1819-1900) observed in his old age that “had the weather when I was young been such as it is now, no book such as ‘Modern Painters’ ever would or could have been written.” “London fog”, he noted, where “the air is pure, though you choose to mix up dirt with it, and choke yourself with your own nastiness.” Many English artists, especially those based in London, felt the same about the murky atmosphere as Ruskin did. David Roberts (1796-1864), a Fellow of the Royal Academy, acknowledged the problem in 1862: “I break new ground with my ‘London From the Thames’; but I have still two weeks, and if the weather keeps from fog I shall be all right and ready.” Luke Fildes in October 1880 (1844-1927) registered his unhappiness with the atmosphere in the strongest terms: “We have endured and still endure the most awfully dark and hopeless winter that has ever been known in London, consequently the civilized globe. We had uninterrupted heavy fog for 5 consecutive days last week … it is too dark for painting and so dense that we have had to burn gas to get our meals by … Nobody is doing any work except a few at Hampstead.” For a painter who was literally scraping a living from his work, the lack of clear light, and the need to spend money burning gas or candles during the day was catastrophic. Wealthier artists tried to circumvent the problem by having winter studios built which were equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows but even this did not help. Most simply went to the south of France or even the Holy Land during the winter months.
The Thames above Waterloo Bridge, by J.M.W. Turner, 1835 / Tate Art Museum, London https://brewminate.com/london-fog-and-the-impressionists/
“I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me” - Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare
dr. π (pi)
.
Today was a nothing grey foggy day, with as much ado about nothing...
London is too full of fogs and - and serious people : .[Spoiler (click to open)]
"London is too full of fogs and - and serious people, Lord Windermere. Whether the fogs produce the serious people or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don’t know." - Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mrs. Erlynne, Act 4
Persons: Cyril and Vivian.
Scene: the library of a country house in Nottinghamshire
The Decay of Lying : https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/steen/cogweb/Abstracts/Wilde_1889.html
London Fog / From James Buntag, Twitter
The art critic and historian John Ruskin (1819-1900) observed in his old age that “had the weather when I was young been such as it is now, no book such as ‘Modern Painters’ ever would or could have been written.” “London fog”, he noted, where “the air is pure, though you choose to mix up dirt with it, and choke yourself with your own nastiness.” Many English artists, especially those based in London, felt the same about the murky atmosphere as Ruskin did. David Roberts (1796-1864), a Fellow of the Royal Academy, acknowledged the problem in 1862: “I break new ground with my ‘London From the Thames’; but I have still two weeks, and if the weather keeps from fog I shall be all right and ready.” Luke Fildes in October 1880 (1844-1927) registered his unhappiness with the atmosphere in the strongest terms: “We have endured and still endure the most awfully dark and hopeless winter that has ever been known in London, consequently the civilized globe. We had uninterrupted heavy fog for 5 consecutive days last week … it is too dark for painting and so dense that we have had to burn gas to get our meals by … Nobody is doing any work except a few at Hampstead.” For a painter who was literally scraping a living from his work, the lack of clear light, and the need to spend money burning gas or candles during the day was catastrophic. Wealthier artists tried to circumvent the problem by having winter studios built which were equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows but even this did not help. Most simply went to the south of France or even the Holy Land during the winter months.
The Thames above Waterloo Bridge, by J.M.W. Turner, 1835 / Tate Art Museum, London https://brewminate.com/london-fog-and-the-impressionists/
“I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me” - Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare
dr. π (pi)
.