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Historical References - Capability Brown, Henri Matisse

I'm missing more historical context for my work, as I think I need to know the origins behind my context and materials, that would give further understanding to my chosen subject and the style I've developed over the years.

 

Capability Brown

Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was a prominent 18th-century landscape designer, entrepreneur, and salesman in the UK. He developed the nickname 'Capability' from his common descriptions of country estates having great 'capabilities' for improvement. By convincing clients of this potential, he managed to work on numerous projects simultaneously. Brown redesigned hundreds of parks and gardens across Britain, being largely responsible for the the natural-looking, English landscape style we see today.


"His style came from the three practical principles of comfort, economy and elegance. He designed landscapes on an immense scale, which provided a setting for mansions which were surrounded by woodland, parkland dotted with trees and carefully contoured ground. His landscapes also incorporated serpentine shaped lakes and carefully designed architectural features including follies, temples and bridges."


Capability Brown Gardens

  1. Matthew Bullen. Chatsworth House [Photograph].

  2. Harewood House. Harewood House [Photograph].

  3. Hubble, John. 2021. View of the House at Croome in spring [Photograph].

 

Henri Matisse

Matisse had a decades long career as a painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker, and is redeemed as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His stylistic innovations of changed the course of modern art, emerging as Post-Impressionist, he was known as being a leader of Fauvism, meaning les fauves, translating to 'the wild beasts'. It is characterised by strong colours and fierce brush work. Matisse was one of the greatest colourists of his time, using it as a foundation for expressive, decorative, and monumental paintings.


  1. Matisse, Henri. (1906?). Olive Trees at Collioure. [Oil on canvas]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

  2. Matisse, Henri. (1952). Standing Blue Nude. [Oil on canvas]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.


"Celebrated as both an orchestrator of tonal harmonies and a draftsman capable of distilling a form to its essentials, he long sought a way to unite colour and line in his work."

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