William Dobson: England's First Artistic Genius | (Waldemar Januszczak) | Perspective
354,050
Published 2020-07-25
tinyurl.com/yc3m7n4m
Has one of Britain's greatest artists been unfairly forgotten? Waldemar Januszczak thinks so. In this documentary, Januszczak argues that the little known 17th-century portrait painter William Dobson was the first English painter of genius.
Dobson's life and times are embedded in one of the most turbulent and significant epochs of British history - the English Civil War. As official court painter to Charles I, the tragic British king later beheaded by Parliament, Dobson had a ringside seat to an period of intense drama and conflict. Based in Oxford, where the court was transferred after Parliament took control of London, Dobson produced an astonishing number of high-quality portraits of royalist supporters, heroes and cavaliers which Januszczak believes are the first true examples of British art. As he puts it in the film: 'Dobson's face should be on our banknotes. His name should be on all our lips.'
The film investigates the few known facts about William Dobson and seeks out the personal stories he left behind as it follows him through his tragically short career. When he died in 1646 - penniless, unemployed and a drunk - Dobson was just 36.
Among the Dobson fans interviewed in the film is Earl Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, who agrees wholeheartedly that William Dobson was the first great British painter.
Perspective is YouTube's home for the arts. Come here to get your fill of great music, theatre, art and much, much more!
Content licensed from DRG Rights to Little Dot Studios.
Any queries, please contact us at:
[email protected]
All Comments (21)
-
Hooray for Waldemar. Brings art to life.
-
I love how he always has somebody (or himself) filmed next to the painting he's discussing to give a sense of scale so that we can appreciate the sheer size of the durn thing.
-
Waldemar, is also an artist, he vividly brings to life the artists and the times of the past.
-
Best host ever!♥️ Guive him an emmy💪 and a raise🔥 and make him a sir I like watch this series.
-
I had never taken notice of William Dobson before. Another informative and entertaining video, as usual. Thank you.
-
Lord, give Waldemar credit please. He's trying to educate a general audience about the life, work and artistic times of a largely unknown artist (which was true of me, an artist whose worked for 2 major museums in NY), "an unknown genius"who lived in very turbulent times which also must be somewhat explained as well. And to do all this in just under an hour. This is not an easy task. He touches on Whitehall Palace, a number of Civil War battles, those columns of 'Soloman,' Charles' famed art collection, van Dyke's role at court etc etc etc. Don't expect too detailed a discussion of the laws of composition. Just enjoy this for a very entertaining informative lecture w/wonderfully described images of art and England. And don't be jealous of Waldemar's presenter skills, I've just known him for years in his artistic journalistic pieces in print, this was a pleasant surprise.
-
What a great portrait artist.His flesh tones are magnificent.
-
Thank you for showing me Dobson. He is a very wonderful painter and yes should be known. In the self portrait with the other two gents I think he looks confident, well liked, strong and very with it. Attractive too! But what a genius painter!
-
Just brilliant, I'd never heard of Dobson but his work is astounding and explaining the pictures the way you do makes them come to life
-
I love his wit! He educates anyone at any level. He pours light out upon the forgotten and lost artists who really contributed to history. Beautifully done it helps the viewer to understand the significant contributions of artists who rarely have their names spoken in art classes in high schools and universities. Thank you!
-
I was first introduced to William Dobson and his "Portrait of the artist with Nicholas Lanier and Sir Charles Cotterell" when the Antiques Roadsow visited Castle Alnwick in Northumberland. The art critic described how Cotterell's arm around Dobson was a protective gesture, persuading him to evolve his art rather than succumb to the outdated trends Lanier represented.
-
More of this guy His documentaries got me interested in art Because I already love history
-
What an unjust treatment of a genius. Thank you Waldemar for telling us the story of William Dobson and introducing us to his amazing art.
-
Thank you. Thoroughly enjoyable and I've learned much more about Dobson and the English Civil War. Perhaps his lack of fame in England is a case of art history being written by the victors.
-
A very talented artist, the portraits are magnificent. The faces of the people Dobson painted are better than that of Rembrand van Rijn (I am Dutch, can't help it to make the comparison). The clear emotional expressions in the faces of all Dobson's portraits are stunning. Nobody could paint eyes like this. The portrait of the sad girl, shown just after the portrait of Eleanor Watson, 53:55, is unique in the history of art. I also like Dobson's portrait backgrounds. Waldemar isn't exaggerating IMHO, William Dobson was a genius, on par with Europe's best artist in this era.
-
admiring so much your passion and perseverance over the years Waldy to share your knowledge with us so creatively , thank you!!
-
Ooh!, I do loves me some Dobson💗 And I would have to say that perhaps the most I found on Dobson on YouTube was at best about 15 minutes in length, so when this came up I immediately pushed play and got to find out a little more on this fabulous artist
-
Thank you for this. I have always loved Dobson’s portraits and felt I was alone in this. Infinitely better than Sir Peter Lely.
-
Tank you for posting this film and special thanks to Waldemar for his wonderful skill of presenting the material so that it really touches our hearts.
-
I need more Waldemar ! Thank you so much for posting!
