England in the 19th century was a country on the move. Wars and conquests shaped this time and put the kingdom in a patriotic mood. Napoleon was defeated, Darwin published the theory of evolution, industrialization took hold - the British view of themselves and the world changed with every victory and every new discovery. Life seemed to be an eternal contest between animals, people and cultures, and the English felt themselves to be the undisputed winners of this struggle.
Stanley Berkeley's paintings exude exactly this triumphant mood. He focused on realistic depictions of famous battles and war scenes, but also produced paintings of sporting events. His paintings are always in the middle of the action: The people in them are running and fighting, shouting in victory or fear, chasing each other across the canvases. Horses race into a line of soldiers at full gallop, or rear up to throw off their riders. Officers stretch their sabers to the sky, cheering on their troops. Every inch of the way, something dramatic and moving is happening. Berkeley's military paintings are his most famous works because they reflected the spirit of England's times. The public shared his fascination with significant moments in British history, especially the scenes from which England emerged glorious. Having been a soldier himself, Berkeley understood this subject matter well, and was able to bring it to the public.
Nevertheless, these are not the only motifs he chose for his art. Contrary to the hectic scenes of war, Berkeley loved the tranquility of English villages. He lived in a farmhouse and stayed out of the limelight. His landscape paintings are less well known and exude a completely different mood than his military paintings. They show the quiet side of the painter, who kept dogs and horses, and was no stranger to fame. Animals were an important part of his life, and so he spent a lot of time putting them on canvas. He painted, among other things, dogs hunting and lions fighting over their prey. The survival of the fittest thus comes to the fore again and again in these motifs.
Berkeley had a penchant for romanticizing war and combat, but at the same time showed the harsh reality. Heroic moments alternate with loss and fear. Every victory in nature and the human world always comes with a price. Berkeley understood this, and did not shy away from depicting less glorious moments. He showed, for example, a shipwreck and a scene depicting lynching. However, these were not as popular with the public as his other works. Berkeley was always careful to paint what interested him, but also to satisfy the public. His varied work is an interesting testimony to this troubled period of English history.
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.jpg "A Disgrace to His Family by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Charge of Scarlett")
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.jpg "For God and King, at Marston Moor, 1644 by Stanley Berkeley")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-201944).jpg "Saving the Guns at Colenso, 1899 by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Caught at Last! by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Cornered at Last by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Race for the St Leger, Defeat of Lord Rosebery")
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.jpg "The Survival of the Fittest by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Christmas Waits by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Quoth the Raven, Never More! by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Thundering down the slope, the squadrons broke through the line of Skirmishers, illustration from")
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.jpg "Battle of Killiecrankie: The last charge of Dundee AD 1689 by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Sketches at the Dogs")
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.jpg "The Survival of the Fittest by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Does Make Cowards of Us All by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "A Privileged Visitor by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Premises and the Consequences by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Slide by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Christmas Hamper by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Unknown Image by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Supremacy by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "In the Orchard by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Stool of Repentance by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Last Charge of Viscount Dundee at the Battle of Killiecrankie, Scotland by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Pick of the Litter by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Checked in Mid-Career by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Nearest Way Out Is The Farthest Way Home by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "The Great Storm, Scene at Margate, Horses drowned in the Attempt to launch the Life-Boat by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Between Scylla and Charybdis by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "An Australian Bush Fire by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "A Bill of Fare by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Prince Rupert at Edgehill by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Union is Strength by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Easter Monday at the Zoological Gardens by Stanley Berkeley")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1056337).jpg "The Cameron Highlanders taking a stockade, Atbara, 8 April 1898 by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Gordons and Greys to the Front at Waterloo by Stanley Berkeley")
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.jpg "Return of Dr Nansen")
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