Volume 1

The Farington diary / edited by James Greig.

  • Joseph Farington
Date:
[1922?-1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Farington diary / edited by James Greig. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    for the cloud tints : adding in some cases a little vermilion or Naples yellow.—He said Sir Joshua Reynolds recommended the using Black for his cloud tint, which he said would always be in harmony with the Blue and White. March 21.—George told me [that his elder brother] N. Dance had said that shd. He George survive him, He had left him one of his estates worth -£30,000. March 28.—Alderman Boydell [the Publisher] called on me. He read some part of his proposals for pictures to decorate the Common Council Room [City]. He had been with Rigaud who He had engaged to paint some emblematic figures in Fresco.—The Alderman is bigotted to his scheme, which seems to exclude almost every other Idea. Boswell, speaking to me of Langton,* said He owed more to industry than superior talents.—Windham [Secretary for War] is not a comfortable companion, He cannot confine himself to his seat in company and has a wildness or exentricity of thought always prevailing.—Malone [Shake¬ spearean Commentator] is respectable and gentlemanlike rather than shining.—Boswell dined a few days ago with Marquiss Townshend who is grown so covetous that rather than call for a second bottle of Claret He drank Port, because Boswell had joined him in the former.—Boswell says He is very proud and fond of his Marquisate, yet affecting to under-value titles. April 1.—Called on N. Dance. His Landscape is improved by the use of Asphaltum passed over parts of it.—In his foreground trees the Dark parts is [sic] composed entirely of Black and light oker or Naples yellow, & the light part of the foliage has a little blue added to the light oker or Naples yellow, but there is no yellow lake used in any part of the picture.—He never uses red lake.—Vermilion is the colour with which He warms his skies and distances.—The earthy parts of his foreground He warms by a little terra di sienna, added to his black. April 3.—Lawrence is desirous to have the whole length portrait of Lady Manners'! hung in the center at the head of the room [at the Royal Academy exhibition].—Smirke went to breakfast at my desire, as Law- lence had apply’d to me for my interest with him. April 5.—N. Dance called on me while I was painting in the view of High St. Oxford, and told me He thought I was making the shadow side of my buildings too warm. He staid with me four hours, during which time I went over the shadow side of University College with tints of black and white only, thinned with Macgilp. He was satisfied with the true effect produced by the alteration. * Bennet Langton (1737-1801) was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, where he became acquainted with Topham Beauclerk, the wit. Langton was a great friend of Dr. Johnson, and succeeded him as Pro¬ fessor of Ancient Literature at the Royal Academy in 1787. He was a Greek scholar, but wrote nothing except the anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, published in Boswell’s Life under the year 1780. He was very popular, especially with the ladies, who at the “ blue-stocking ” meetings gathered, said Burke, round his tall, thin figure, like maids round a Maypole. f This settles a doubt as to whether the portrait shown at the R.A. that year was of Lady Manners or Lady Milner.