10 Watercolor artist | JUNE 2020
Anatomy of a Painting
E
asterncultureintrigued
Westernartistsinthe19th
century.A triptotheMiddle
EastortheMediterraneanwasall
butobligatoryforEnglishartists,
butfewstayedlongenoughto
exploresubjectsdeeply.Forthe
mostpart,painterschoseexotic
themesromanticizedthroughthe
lensofEuropeanimperialism.
AnexceptionwasJohnFrederick
Lewis(English,1804–1876).Lewis
studiedwiththeportraitartistSir
ThomasLawrence(English,1769–
1830)andbeganhiscareerasa painter
ofanimals.HisfirsttripwastoSpain
andMoroccointheearly1830s.In
1837,LewistraveledthroughItaly,
Greece and Constantinople, fi nally set-
tling in Cairo in 1841. He lived there,
in the luxurious manner of the Turkish
elite, for a decade—long enough to
observe the Islamic lifestyle in detail.
Lewis made hundreds of drawings and
watercolors, which he eventually
brought back to England and used
as reference for exhibition pieces.
Two Camels is one such study.
Lewis’ experience as an animalier
is evident in the fi ne and accurate
draftsmanship; the graceful curvesofthecamels’necks;andthedetailed
descriptionoftheirheads.In1856,
thecriticJohnRuskinwroteofLewis’
work,“Lethimexamine,forinstance,
witha goodlens,theeyesofthe
camels,andhewillfindthereisas
muchpaintingbeneaththeirdroop-
ingfringesaswould,withmost
painters,bethoughtenoughforthe
wholehead.”
Lewis delighted in visual elabora-
tion. He developed a reputation as an
ethnographer, an artist whose depic-
tions of Egyptian culture relied on the
transcription of what he saw rather
than on romantic invention. After his
return to England, Lewis used Two
Camels as a reference for at least two
later works. WAJerry N. Weiss is a contributing writer
to fi ne art magazines and teaches at
the Art Students League of New York.Lewis set out to ele-
vate watercolor
painting to the
same level of critical
acceptance as that
of oil painting. He
attempted to do so
by creating two ver-
sions of the same
composition, one in
each media. Lewis
gradually raised the
prices of his water-
colors to match
those of the oils.
The watercolors
took longer, and it
was a difficult
undertaking.
“Generally, in spite
of all my hard
work,” he wrote,
“I find watercolor to
be thoroly [sic]
unremunerative
that I can stand it
no longer—it is all,
all always, rolling
the stone up the
hill—no rest, and
such little pay!”“The Unassailable
Authority of
British Technique”
JOHN FREDERICK LEWIS depicts Egyptian
culture based on observation instead of
European romanticization.By Jerry N. Weiss
Two Camels
(ca 1843; watercolor and
bodycolor over black chalk
on brownish paper, 14⅝ x20⅝ )
by John Frederick Lewis