Copycat

[faustus]

Two blurry guerilla photos...


I was struck by the likeness of two paintings in the Laing Art Gallery: one by Joseph Wright - who is best known for his playing with light pictures of scientific experiments - and the other by Thomas Hudson. Both are of women facing left to right, both have a hand stretched out, from which something dangles, and a hand pointing up to their chins. The dress creases in very similar ways, and bits of fabric flow behind and on top it similar ways.

I spent a lot of time reading the labels, but neither comments on the similarities. I wondered if there might be a set portrait style onto which a face was copied - but even the faces seem similar.

Further research online dug this up:

Thomas Hudson (1701-1779)
Portrait Of Anne, Countess Of Northampton
Oil on canvas
width: 149.5 cm, height: 237.0 cm
This is probably an engagement or marriage portrait of the Countess of Northampton, who married in 1759. The Countess's elaborate dress was intended to create a grand impression whilst not being tied too closely to fashions of the day. The imposing architectural background adds to the impressive effect. The style of the picture reflects the traditions of the 1740s to 1750s. After this, portrait styles tended to become more informal.

Joseph Wright (1734-1797)
Portrait Of Miss Jane Monck
Oil on canvas
width: 101.3 cm, height: 125.7 cm
Jane Monck is around fourteen years old in this portrait by the Derby artist Joseph Wright. She is wearing an idealised costume intended to create an air of timeless elegance. Her pose and style of dress are almost exactly the same as those of an earlier portrait of Anne, Countess of Northampton by Thomas Hudson. Joseph Wright had been Thomas Hudson's pupil, and would have studied Hudson's drawings. Jane Monck later married Sir William Middleton of Belsay Hall, Northumberland.

Now why don't the labels in the real world say this? Or did I really read them sevral times and not pick up the salient fact?