The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (332 page)
Read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists Online
Authors: Ian Chilvers
Nanni di Banco
(d. 1421).
Florentine sculptor, one of the major figures of the transition from
Gothic
to
Renaissance
. Much of his work was designed for one or other of two architectural settings in Florence, the cathedral and Or San Michele , which together formed the chief source of demand for sculpture in the city during the first quarter of the 15th cent., and he often worked alongside
Donatello
. His work has a Gothic elegance, but also shows the influence of the
antique
; his masterpiece, the group of the
Quattro Santi Coronati
(Four Crowned Saints) at Or San Michele, for example, features grave and dignified figures modelled on Roman senator statues. Because this and other major works are of controversial dating, however, it is uncertain whether he was in advance of Donatello in his use of
Classical
exemplars.
Florentine sculptor, one of the major figures of the transition from
Gothic
to
Renaissance
. Much of his work was designed for one or other of two architectural settings in Florence, the cathedral and Or San Michele , which together formed the chief source of demand for sculpture in the city during the first quarter of the 15th cent., and he often worked alongside
Donatello
. His work has a Gothic elegance, but also shows the influence of the
antique
; his masterpiece, the group of the
Quattro Santi Coronati
(Four Crowned Saints) at Or San Michele, for example, features grave and dignified figures modelled on Roman senator statues. Because this and other major works are of controversial dating, however, it is uncertain whether he was in advance of Donatello in his use of
Classical
exemplars.
Nanteuil , Robert
(1623–78).
French engraver and draughtsman, almost exclusively of portraits. He is considered the greatest European portrait engraver of the 17th cent., and in France stands as the counterpart of Philippe
de Champaigne
among painters. He often engraved the work of Champaigne and other painters, but also made original compositions, in which he showed both great technical mastery and penetrating characterization. Louis XIV appointed him royal draughtsman in 1658 and he made many pastel portraits as well as engravings of the king and royal family.
French engraver and draughtsman, almost exclusively of portraits. He is considered the greatest European portrait engraver of the 17th cent., and in France stands as the counterpart of Philippe
de Champaigne
among painters. He often engraved the work of Champaigne and other painters, but also made original compositions, in which he showed both great technical mastery and penetrating characterization. Louis XIV appointed him royal draughtsman in 1658 and he made many pastel portraits as well as engravings of the king and royal family.
Nash , Paul
(1889–1946).
English painter, book illustrator, writer, photographer, and designer. Nash was one of the most individual British artists of his period, taking a distinguished place in the English tradition of deep attachment to the countryside whilst at the same time responding imaginatively to European modernism. He saw himself as a successor of
Blake
and
Turner
. After training at the
Slade
School he served in the First World War, was wounded, and worked as an
Official War Artist
, creating memorable images of the devastation the war wrought on the countryside. In the 1920s and particularly in the 1930s he was influenced by
Surrealism
(above all de
Chirico
, an exhibition of whose work he saw in London in 1928) and often concentrated on mysterious aspects of the landscape (
Monster Field
, Durban Art Gallery, 1939). For much of this time he lived in rural areas (Kent, Sussex, Dorset), basing his work on scenes he knew well but imaginatively transforming them. In 1933 he was the prime mover in the formation of
Unit One
, and he helped to organize and exhibited in the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936. In the Second World War he was again an Official War Artist. He was already very sick with the asthmatic condition that killed him, but he produced one of the best-known works to be inspired by the conflict,
Totes Meer (Dead Sea)
(Tate Gal., London, 1940–1), which portrays shot-down aircraft with their wings looking like undulating waves. Nash was regarded as one of the finest book illustrators of his time; he also designed scenery, fabrics, and posters, and was a photographer and writer, his books including a guide to Dorset. His brother
John
(1893–1977) was also a painter and illustrator, excelling in meticulous flower drawings for botanical publications. Like Paul he was an Official War Artist in both World Wars.
English painter, book illustrator, writer, photographer, and designer. Nash was one of the most individual British artists of his period, taking a distinguished place in the English tradition of deep attachment to the countryside whilst at the same time responding imaginatively to European modernism. He saw himself as a successor of
Blake
and
Turner
. After training at the
Slade
School he served in the First World War, was wounded, and worked as an
Official War Artist
, creating memorable images of the devastation the war wrought on the countryside. In the 1920s and particularly in the 1930s he was influenced by
Surrealism
(above all de
Chirico
, an exhibition of whose work he saw in London in 1928) and often concentrated on mysterious aspects of the landscape (
Monster Field
, Durban Art Gallery, 1939). For much of this time he lived in rural areas (Kent, Sussex, Dorset), basing his work on scenes he knew well but imaginatively transforming them. In 1933 he was the prime mover in the formation of
Unit One
, and he helped to organize and exhibited in the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936. In the Second World War he was again an Official War Artist. He was already very sick with the asthmatic condition that killed him, but he produced one of the best-known works to be inspired by the conflict,
Totes Meer (Dead Sea)
(Tate Gal., London, 1940–1), which portrays shot-down aircraft with their wings looking like undulating waves. Nash was regarded as one of the finest book illustrators of his time; he also designed scenery, fabrics, and posters, and was a photographer and writer, his books including a guide to Dorset. His brother
John
(1893–1977) was also a painter and illustrator, excelling in meticulous flower drawings for botanical publications. Like Paul he was an Official War Artist in both World Wars.
Nasmyth , Alexander
(1758–1840).
Scottish painter. He worked mainly in his native Edinburgh , but he was a pupil and assistant of
Ramsay
in London 1774–8, and in 1782–5 he visited Italy. There he became interested in landscape painting, which eventually took over from portraiture as his main concern. In his landscapes he blended
classical
elements stemming from
Claude
with naturalistic observation and became the founder of the Scottish landscape tradition, influencing many younger painters. He was a man of wide culture, interested in science as well as art, and he worked as a stage designer and architectural consultant. One of his friends was the poet Robert Burns , whose portrait he painted against a romantic landscape background (NPG, Edinburgh,
c.
1787). Nasmyth had several artist sons, of whom the most important was the eldest,
Patrick
(1787–1831). He worked mainly in London and achieved great popularity with his prolific output of landscapes in the manner of the 17th-cent. Dutch masters, earning the nickname ‘the English
Hobbema
’.
Scottish painter. He worked mainly in his native Edinburgh , but he was a pupil and assistant of
Ramsay
in London 1774–8, and in 1782–5 he visited Italy. There he became interested in landscape painting, which eventually took over from portraiture as his main concern. In his landscapes he blended
classical
elements stemming from
Claude
with naturalistic observation and became the founder of the Scottish landscape tradition, influencing many younger painters. He was a man of wide culture, interested in science as well as art, and he worked as a stage designer and architectural consultant. One of his friends was the poet Robert Burns , whose portrait he painted against a romantic landscape background (NPG, Edinburgh,
c.
1787). Nasmyth had several artist sons, of whom the most important was the eldest,
Patrick
(1787–1831). He worked mainly in London and achieved great popularity with his prolific output of landscapes in the manner of the 17th-cent. Dutch masters, earning the nickname ‘the English
Hobbema
’.
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