JOHN BUTTS (c.1728 - 1764) A Mountainous Wooded Landscape with figures gathering wood Oil on canvas, 94.5 x 128cm Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 6 July 1983, lot 250 Exhibited: Dublin, Exhibition Palace, Arts, Industries and Manufactures (and Loan Museum of Works of Art), 1872. As one of the finest early Irish landscape painters, John Butts specialised in extensive woodland scenes, often based on his native county of Cork around the margins of the Blackwater river. His idealised and romanticised views reflect a particular stylistic tradition of landscape painting, greatly influenced by French 17th century artists' such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin Works by Butts are considerably scarce and large-scale landscape scenes, such as the present example are particularly important additions to the artist's known oeuvre. The early years of his career were spent in Cork, studying and painting from the environment around him, in which he was praised for his remarkable ability to render the breadth and variety of light and shadow in his compositions. While highly idealised views of the wild local environment, Butts handling of colour and the creation of distinctive atmospheric qualities established him as an artist of merit. In this work he captures the toil and hardship of the men at work, gathering large branches for building and fire wood, while the figure in the distant foreground, returning to the town, is bent over under the weight of his load. The centre of the composition is beautifully lit, the rocky cliff face bathed in the warm glow of the sun. Butts manages to create both a focused narrative in the foreground of the painting, while also alluding to the vast and expansive landscape and mountains in the distance. The sun breaks through the clouds, hitting the canopy of the forest and casting a dappled light over the entire scene. Little is known about his painting career, other than a move to Dublin in around 1757, where he was employed as scene painter for the Crow Street Theatre. Married and with a large family to provide for, Butts took on commissions for landscape and figurative paintings in order to supplement his income. Dogged by is penchant for alcohol, he struggled to maintain consistency in his work and this kept him and his family in near state of poverty. He resorted to selling ale house scenes, noted as 'grotesque assemblages' in Strickland, or painting signs for businesses and coaches. While his reputation is not as significant as other Irish landscape painters such as George Barrett or James Barry the latter of which was a close friend and contemporary of Butts, the emergence of more works by him will help to establish his legacy as a key figure of 18th century Irish art.
JOHN BUTTS (c.1728 - 1764) A Mountainous Wooded Landscape with figures gathering wood Oil on canvas, 94.5 x 128cm Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 6 July 1983, lot 250 Exhibited: Dublin, Exhibition Palace, Arts, Industries and Manufactures (and Loan Museum of Works of Art), 1872. As one of the finest early Irish landscape painters, John Butts specialised in extensive woodland scenes, often based on his native county of Cork around the margins of the Blackwater river. His idealised and romanticised views reflect a particular stylistic tradition of landscape painting, greatly influenced by French 17th century artists' such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin Works by Butts are considerably scarce and large-scale landscape scenes, such as the present example are particularly important additions to the artist's known oeuvre. The early years of his career were spent in Cork, studying and painting from the environment around him, in which he was praised for his remarkable ability to render the breadth and variety of light and shadow in his compositions. While highly idealised views of the wild local environment, Butts handling of colour and the creation of distinctive atmospheric qualities established him as an artist of merit. In this work he captures the toil and hardship of the men at work, gathering large branches for building and fire wood, while the figure in the distant foreground, returning to the town, is bent over under the weight of his load. The centre of the composition is beautifully lit, the rocky cliff face bathed in the warm glow of the sun. Butts manages to create both a focused narrative in the foreground of the painting, while also alluding to the vast and expansive landscape and mountains in the distance. The sun breaks through the clouds, hitting the canopy of the forest and casting a dappled light over the entire scene. Little is known about his painting career, other than a move to Dublin in around 1757, where he was employed as scene painter for the Crow Street Theatre. Married and with a large family to provide for, Butts took on commissions for landscape and figurative paintings in order to supplement his income. Dogged by is penchant for alcohol, he struggled to maintain consistency in his work and this kept him and his family in near state of poverty. He resorted to selling ale house scenes, noted as 'grotesque assemblages' in Strickland, or painting signs for businesses and coaches. While his reputation is not as significant as other Irish landscape painters such as George Barrett or James Barry the latter of which was a close friend and contemporary of Butts, the emergence of more works by him will help to establish his legacy as a key figure of 18th century Irish art.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
