DOI chapter:
John and Andrew Both
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.62940#0182
166 JOHN AND ANDREW BOTH.
them to quit precipitately their homes, to seek for
knowledge in that fairy land: be this as it may, it is
generally believed that they left their country while
very young, and travelled together to Rome. There
were at that period many Dutch painters in that city,
who, like themselves, were visitors for the purpose of
improvement, and who afterwards became eminent in
the profession. It does not appear, from any account
that has met the Writer’s eye, that either of the Boths
entered any particular school at Rome ; but it is briessy
said, that John took Claude Lorraine for his model,
and that Andrew adopted the style of Bamboccio.
In reference to the former statement, some doubt of
its correctness may be hazarded, for there can scarcely
be a greater dissimilarity in the styles of two landscape
painters than there is between those of Claude and
John Both : the opinion given, must therefore be
taken as mere conjecture. In the absence of any
positive information on this subject, it will perhaps be
more reasonable to direct the eye to his pictures, from
which may be gathered more real information on the
subject than writers have hitherto been able to give.
A careful perusal of his works will convince the
impartial inquirer, that the painter possessed a genius
approaching to the highest order, for he has embodied
the forms and effects of nature in a style so truly
original, and with colouring so attractive, that if he
were not wholly a self-taught artist, he has at least the
merit of being the author of that peculiar manner which
distinguishes his pictures. His landscapes appear almost
exclusively to represent Italian scenery, selected either
from the beautisul environs of Tivoli, the passes of the
them to quit precipitately their homes, to seek for
knowledge in that fairy land: be this as it may, it is
generally believed that they left their country while
very young, and travelled together to Rome. There
were at that period many Dutch painters in that city,
who, like themselves, were visitors for the purpose of
improvement, and who afterwards became eminent in
the profession. It does not appear, from any account
that has met the Writer’s eye, that either of the Boths
entered any particular school at Rome ; but it is briessy
said, that John took Claude Lorraine for his model,
and that Andrew adopted the style of Bamboccio.
In reference to the former statement, some doubt of
its correctness may be hazarded, for there can scarcely
be a greater dissimilarity in the styles of two landscape
painters than there is between those of Claude and
John Both : the opinion given, must therefore be
taken as mere conjecture. In the absence of any
positive information on this subject, it will perhaps be
more reasonable to direct the eye to his pictures, from
which may be gathered more real information on the
subject than writers have hitherto been able to give.
A careful perusal of his works will convince the
impartial inquirer, that the painter possessed a genius
approaching to the highest order, for he has embodied
the forms and effects of nature in a style so truly
original, and with colouring so attractive, that if he
were not wholly a self-taught artist, he has at least the
merit of being the author of that peculiar manner which
distinguishes his pictures. His landscapes appear almost
exclusively to represent Italian scenery, selected either
from the beautisul environs of Tivoli, the passes of the