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Post by Shan on Mar 20, 2007 3:24:40 GMT
Meet Henry Alken ( 1785-1851 )
Born in 1785, Henry Alken was the son and pupil of Samuel Alken Sr. and became a prolific painter of sporting works, including hunting, coaching, racing and steeplechasing scenes. He is best known today for perhaps one of the most collected series of sporting prints of all time, The Midnight Steeplechase or The First Steeplechase On Record, which was published by Ackermann. Henry Alken worked in both oil and watercolour, and also made a living as an etcher. He wrote the book National Sports of Great Britain and his work was frequently copied by his son, Henry Jr. Henry Alken died in 1851.
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Post by Shan on Mar 20, 2007 3:26:52 GMT
A Coach and Four on an Open Road
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Post by Shan on Mar 20, 2007 3:28:07 GMT
Hunting Scenes Full Cry
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Post by Shan on Mar 20, 2007 3:30:18 GMT
The Derby and London Royal Mail on the Open Road
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Post by janggut on Mar 20, 2007 4:12:03 GMT
i like the wintry scene in The Derby and London Royal Mail on the Open Road. also the orange tinge is nice. very Christmassy. ;D as for the second, while it's nice in an arty way, i don't really like fox hunting. kinda cruel & so .... upper crust.  |
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Post by LaFille on Mar 20, 2007 18:31:06 GMT
The last one appeals me the most... It's the mood, I think, coming from the piece. The first one I like, but what hits me the most is the impression that they're on for a perillous ride and that the horses seem on the nerves. Second one feels more ordinary to me, by the shapes, media, expressions, etc.
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 16:57:37 GMT
i like the wintry scene in The Derby and London Royal Mail on the Open Road. also the orange tinge is nice. very Christmassy. ;D as for the second, while it's nice in an arty way, i don't really like fox hunting. kinda cruel & so .... upper crust. *laugh* upper crust, leave it to jags. ;D and i agree fox hunting is kinda cruel. i don't think it is something that i would want to be a part of. foxie shouldn't get killed and no fun being chased by doggies and men riding horses.  you are also right about the orange tinge making The Derby and London Royal Mail on the Open Road seem christmassy. i love the old coaches in these paintings that is what drew me to them.  |
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 17:03:29 GMT
The last one appeals me the most... It's the mood, I think, coming from the piece. The first one I like, but what hits me the most is the impression that they're on for a perillous ride and that the horses seem on the nerves. Second one feels more ordinary to me, by the shapes, media, expressions, etc. Alken does have a way of expressing the mood in his paintings. He can almost make you feel as if you are there. I love painting that can put me in them. As for the second one, it is done in watercolor and pencil on paper which could lend to the look being quite different. The other two are done in oils. The ones in oil appeal to me more because of the richer color. |
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 17:05:31 GMT
This one is my favorite. Can you guess why? ;D The York to London Royal Mail on the Open Road in Winter |
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 17:07:41 GMT
Mail Coaches on an Open Road Pic 1
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 17:08:43 GMT
Mail Coaches on an Open Road Pic 2
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Post by Shan on Mar 21, 2007 17:11:33 GMT
Another thing that drew me to Henry Alken's work is the color. I love his use of color. To me it is what brings the picture to life and the sharpness of his work. It allows you to put yourself into the picture and view it as if you were actually seeing the event.
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Post by janggut on Mar 22, 2007 1:12:35 GMT
Shan, anything wintry is going to look favourable to u. ;D so yeah, i like The York to London Royal Mail on the Open Road in Winter too. it has the shadow right & the wintry scene is also something that i am prone to like. as for the later 2, i don't know. that both have very little or no shadow, i feel that they're a bit off. maybe it's just me. |
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Post by Shan on Mar 22, 2007 14:42:54 GMT
Shan, anything wintry is going to look favourable to u. ;D so yeah, i like The York to London Royal Mail on the Open Road in Winter too. it has the shadow right & the wintry scene is also something that i am prone to like. as for the later 2, i don't know. that both have very little or no shadow, i feel that they're a bit off. maybe it's just me. who me? you really think anything wintry would look good to me? ;D you are right about the shadow, but that doesn't bother me. when i look at the pictures, i see the coaches. i like them so much that they cause me to forget about the shadows or anything else being off in the pictures. good call though, jags, and you said you didn't know much about art. ;D |
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Post by Shan on Mar 22, 2007 16:30:14 GMT
Going to the Derby
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Post by Shan on Mar 22, 2007 16:31:07 GMT
A Halted Coach
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Post by Shan on Mar 22, 2007 16:33:15 GMT
The coaches are still my favorite part of these pictures. Guess this is it though at least for now. I can find any more that I am really drawn to. |
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Post by janggut on Mar 24, 2007 19:05:58 GMT
the last two which have coaches as subject are very nice indeed. rich colours & with shadows + lightings.
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