A 19th century English school laconic painted scene of a domestic discord.

These small paintings were made at the end of the 19th century by street artists and hobby painters. The period in which laconic humorous paintings such as these were frequently made was mainly between 1860 and 1890. The artists of these paintings undoubtedly had talent, but with these works it was especially true that the more were made, the more turnover could be generated. There were many such paintings in circulation, given their low value, many have been lost in the past 100 years. It is all the more special now to come across one with a scene depicting domestic quarrels of that time.

‘School’

French school, Dutch school, Italian school and so much more. The word ‘school’ is used with various meanings and often to describe a certain type of painting style.

In its narrowest sense, the word ‘school’ can denote a group of painters who worked under de influence of another artist. A great example is the ‘school of Leonardo da Vinci’ were a large group of artists worked in the studio of, or under the influence of, Leonardo da Vinci. They are also known as ‘The Leonardeschi’.

In its widest sense, the word ‘school’ can denote a whole country of painters and describe a typical style which reflects the painters of that country. An example is ‘Italian school’ or ‘French school’. In another sense, the word ‘school’ can also denote a certain region of a country. The ‘Venetian school’ applies to painters who worked under local influence or with general similarities in color or technique. Famous examples of ‘Venetian school’ artists are Lazzaro Bastiani (1430-1512), Giovanni Bellini (1430 – 1516) and Giulio Campi (1500-1572).