Tea at Trianon: Matthew Ryan, Historical Illustrator

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Matthew Ryan, Historical Illustrator

Lovers of art, history and the Middle Ages will love the work of artist Matthew Ryan. According to his website:

Matthew Ryan is both an Historical Illustrator and a Fine Artist. Matthew's work has appeared in publications such as Osprey Publishing, Channel 4's "Walking Through History with Tony Robinson, Medieval Warfare Magazine and Desperta Ferro Magazine. His prints are already becoming popular with collectors and history enthusiasts worldwide.

His work combines detailed and painstakingly researched elements along with a painting and drawing style that is both naturalistic and descriptive. His work gives the viewer both an impression of the times and the humanity of his pieces combined with an eye for capturing the landscape help the viewer feel they are in the scene and the people are alive within the scene.

After graduating with a BA Hons Degree in Illustration Matthew worked for over ten years as a designer before combining his passions of history and art and deciding to work as an historical artist/illustrator. He believes that drawing and painting what he loves and understands has given his work an extra degree of credibility and his passion for what he does can be seen within each image.

The depth and quality of his work seems to build with each new piece. Matthew is looking forward to some exciting new commissions for the new year and also has an ever expanding list of themes that he wishes to cover and make available to people. One of these will be a series of paintings and drawings that Matthew plans to produce for the forthcoming 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt in 2015. Matthew is a keen archer and has enjoyed shooting what is now known as the English Warbow for many years. He is also being a keen fletcher, making his own medieval style arrows similar to those found and excavated from the sunken Mary Rose warship.