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Excerpt from Masters of English Landscape Painting: J. S, Cotman, David Cox, Peter De Wint The few oil paintings then which Cotman was able to produce, with little leisure and practically no commissions - nor did he work at oils except during certain portions of his career - are swamped for the public, in the far greater mass of work attributed to him on little or no grounds; and, strangely enough, it is not usually because of likeness to his style that a picture is dubbed with his name, for in 1 many cases there is no hint of likeness, but Simply because it is striking and the authorship uncertain. Any forcible sea-piece has a chance of getting christened his in time. I With the drawings which he produced in infinitely greater number the case is different, though the result is much the same. As in life he was forced to be a drawing-master, SO after death it is the product of his drudgery, not of his delight, which is usually (made to represent him. During the latter part of his life he pro duced many drawings which, with all their accomplishment, are hardly worthy of him. Yet it is these which one usually sees exhibited, at least in London. Numbers of his earlier and finer drawings have, I imagine, perished through long service as copies for his pupils. But there is happily another side to this picture. If people in general have been for the most part far too careless in giving Cotman's name to pictures, still there have been one or two art lovers and collectors who have always valued him at his proper worth, who have been jealous of his honour, and studious of his fame. Foremost among these is Mr. James Reeve of Norwich, who has devoted his life to the study of the Norwich painters, and more especially to the study of Cotman. A friend of Cotman's son, brought up In the traditions of the school, he has spared no pains in sifting and establishing the information which he has had peculiar opportunities for acquiring. His collection of Cotman drawings, formed with scrupulous choice, is the best material extant for studying that artist; it represents him both in colour and in black and white at every period of his career. Mr. Reeve is the acknow ledged authority on the Norwich painters; and if he errs, it is on the side of caution in accepting work as genuine; but those who have given any study to this school must confess that with all its productions, and especially those ascribed to its two chief masters, caution can hardly be excessive. The bulk of Mr. Reeve's collection is now the property of the (nation, and in the British Museum. The greater part of our illus trations are drawn from this source. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
