George Stubbs
Born on 25th of August 1724
Died in London
Died on 10th of July 1806
Born in Liverpool August 25 1724, George Stubbs began his career as a provincial portrait painter. His scientific curiosity, however, led him towards anatomical study. His knowledge of human anatomy was such that he was able to teach the subject to medical students in York County Hospital (1745 -1751), and his complementary drawing skills led to him being commissioned to illustrate a book on midwifery in 1751.
George Stubbs visited Italy in 1754: “To convince himself that nature was, and is always, superior to art.” On returning to England he was to spend 18 months dissecting horses, work which later enabled him to publish “The Anatomy of Horses” (1766). In 1759 he moved to London. His continued painstaking scientific research enabled Stubbs to depict horses with much greater integrity and accuracy than previous artists. This was recognised by aristocratic patrons, and the commissions thus forthcoming allowed Stubbs to buy a house in fashionable Marylebone where he lived for the rest of his life. His famous painting of the prancing horse “Whistlejacket” for the 3rd Marquess of Rockingham now hangs in the National Gallery.
Stubbs also painted lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys and various other animals that he studied in private menageries. A recurrent theme was that of a horse being savagely attacked by a lion. He continued painting into old age and also produced hunting pictures and pastoral scenes. In 1795 he began his last scientific project, a rather intriguing one: a comparative study of human anatomy with that of the tiger and chicken. George Stubbs died in London on July 10, 1806.
Links:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/stubbs_george.html Profile
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/Collect National Gallery
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