Richard Parkes Bonington, (1802-1828). Margaret Sarah Carpenter (1793-1892). Left: chalk study, c. 1827, 17 1/2 in. x 13 in. (445 mm x 330 mm). Right: oil on canvas, c. 1827-1830, 30 in. x 25 in. (762 mm x 635 mm). Both © National Portrait Gallery, London. Chalk study: NPG 492, given by William Callow, 1877. Portrait in oil: NPG 444, purchased 1877. Downloaded from the gallery with permission. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Cut off in his prime by tuberculosis, Bonington nevertheless has an important position in the history of nineteenth-century painting. Patrick Noon views the success of his last two years, both in England and France, where he had trained and was chiefly based, as "astounding," and says that "the development of his painting technique was breathtaking and experimental." The motherly Margaret Carpenter, with her ready sympathy, must have responded warmly to the young fellow-artist. The chalk drawing was described by her son William as being a study for her later oil painting of him, which, as noted above, is dated loosely by the National Portrait Gallery as c.1827-30.
According to the gallery's extended catalogue entry, there was some debate about the likeness, focusing on the shade of the eyes, which were thought to be darker, and the absence of his characteristic expression of "frowning melancholy." Much may have depended on the light, the relationship between the two artists, and the young man's mood at the time — the gallery sees a certain "sleepiness" in the eyes, perhaps accounted for by deteriorating health, but perhaps indicative of reflectiveness. A slight frown is just hinted at, and is more apparent in the finished portrait. At any rate, quite simply, Carpenter can be trusted to have conveyed what she saw.
Seeing the two works side by side is instructive. The artist's materials make such a difference. While the finished portrait is certainly striking, there is a freshness and immediacy about the closer chalk study of the face that is very attractive. Together, Carpenter's works bring home the tragic loss, both to those who knew him and to the art world generally, of such a talented artist at such a young age. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Noon, Patrick. "Bonington, Richard Parkes (1802–1828), landscape painter." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. Web. 21 October 2024.
Richard Parkes Bonington" (Chalk). National Portrait Gallery. Web. 21 October 2024.
Richard Parkes Bonington" (Oil). National Portrait Gallery. Web. 21 October 2024.
Created 21 October 2024