Among Landseer’s most known works are his dog paintings from the 1830s, the most popular of which being Dignity and Impudence.
History of Dignity and Impudence artwork
Many of the works, including this one, are commissioned life-size ‘portraits’; the remainder are autonomous topics, smaller in scale and frequently with a narrative substance. Landseer cleverly contrasts the size and personality of a bloodhound named Grafton and a West Highland terrier named Scratch. Jacob Bell, who commissioned the painting, owned both dogs.
The composition of the painting is a parody of the Dutch portrait tradition, in which the subject is framed by a window, with an arm or hand hanging over the edge, exactly as the bloodhound’s paw hangs over the kennel’s edge.
Landseer emphasizes the dogs’ ‘human’ characteristics: the bloodhound’s soulful stare and gentle dignity contrast with the little terrier’s impish smile. Furthermore, the larger dog is painted with smooth, varied textures, whilst the tiny dog is brought to life with a few jabbing, passionate brushstrokes.
Landseer juxtaposes distinct canine varieties in two independent pieces, High life (Tate A00702) and Low life (Tate A00703) (Tate A00703). However, the hilarious depiction of the two dogs’ interaction in this image introduces a new type of subject.
Landseer went on to publish essays in the stately and absurd in Lion and Dash (Badminton, Gloucestershire) and Lion Dog (Royal Collection), both published around 1840. The former compares a Saint Bernard to a King Charles Spaniel, whereas the latter compares a Saint Bernard to a Maltese dog.
Grafton paid visits to numerous painters’ studios in London on occasion. He was also a stubborn beast with a fierce fighting mentality. He was once imprisoned in a stable with another dog. The two canines developed an instant disdain for one another and were discovered the next morning, terribly injured and at opposite ends of the structure.
Bell was enraged with the bloodhound and abandoned him to die, but the dog miraculously recovered from his injuries. Bell clearly had a soft heart for the terrier, and while threatening Grafton with a gun if he misbehaved again, he wagered the owner of a poodle that Scratch was the more attractive dog.
