The teaching of non-professional artists in eighteenth century England.
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The introductory chapter explains terms used throughout
this thesis and why this period was chosen for study. The
history of the introduction of drawing to the curriculum of
Christ's Hospital, the Lens family who were the drawing
masters there, and their drawing manuals and teaching
methods are the subject of the second chapter. The third
deals with the teaching of drawing at private academies,
particularly Thomas Weston's in Greenwich, and with his and
the Bickham family's activities as drawing masters to the
pupils of this academy and the children at the Royal Naval
Hospital. William and Sawrey Gilpin at Cheam Preparatory
School are examined through the surviving correspondence of
the Grimstons of Kilnwick in chapter four.
Alexander Cozens's activities as a drawing master
occupy the remaining half of the thesis. Chapter five
explains how he himself learnt to draw and describes his
earliest known employment as a drawing master at Christ's
Hospital from 1749 to 1754. Chapter six traces his
activities through the 1750's as a private drawing master
and as the author of publications intended to assist the
artistic invention of amateurs and professionals alike. It
also examines his relationship with his son, John Robert
Cozens, with Sir George Beaumont at Eton College, and with
Henry Stebbing who studied Cozeris's 'blot' method. Chapter
seven examines the activities of three of Cozens's private
pupils through their surviving work and family papers in
order to ascertain the element of original artistic
creativity in the landscapes produced under his instruction.
The concluding chapter considers why art education
gained considerable importance in the education of young
gentlemen and gentlewomen during this period, and whether
the drawing masters' methods of teaching them changed.
Finally, the role of drawing masters as creators and
disseminators of artistic theories and their contribution to
the development of English landscape watercolour painting
are discussed.
Authors
Sloan, Kimberly MaeCollections
- Theses [3834]