Hugh William "Grecian" Williams

Visiting Athens in the summer of 1817, Hugh Williams walked the city’s surrounding hills to find “the finest point of view,” making many sketches on site and vividly recording his impressions in his diary. This panorama was completed in his studio years later, after his return to Britain. The sun’s rays and the complex effects of atmospheric perspective are remarkably convincing, showcasing Williams’s ability to convey the subtleties of light and color.

After traveling extensively in the Mediterranean, Hugh William Williams mounted an exhibition of views of Greece in Edinburgh in 1822. The critical acclaim he received earned him the nickname “Grecian” Williams. His view of Athens combines the general with the specific, altering the placement of major monuments in favor of a pleasingly balanced composition.