St Martin in the Fields, William Logsdail
Link is to zoomable version on Google Art Project; downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons, original is in the Tate Britain.
I love the atmosphere in this painting of London’s Trafalgar Square by Victorian painter William Logsdail — the wetness of the stone, the textures of fabrics, and the contrast between the muted grays and touches of higher chroma color.
Link: St Martin in the Fields, Google Art Project
The yellow of the girls flowers just seem like a bright uplifting point in a whole world of wet and gray!
I have always wondered how can one paint such fine straight lines in oil painting. What’s the secret?
I can’t speak to Logsdail’s actual technique, but one possibility is to use a artist’s bridge, and run the brush along it as though using a pen with a T-square (takes some practice):
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/handrests/
Another possibility is to lay out preliminary drawing in ink or charcoal (graphite does not play well with oil), using drafting tools.
You can also use artist’s tape to make a straight edge, and lift it off after painting. This can only be done on a dry part of the surface.