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Hugh William "Grecian" Williams

Athens Toward the Southwest, ca.1817-1826

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

Athens Toward the Southwest

Year

ca.1817-1826

Medium

Watercolor with resist and scraping, pen and ink, opaque white watercolor, and graphite on wove paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Supports

Dimensions

40 x 65.7 cm (15 13/16 x 25 7/8 inches)

Type

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

1986.184.72

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

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.

British Artists Abroad

December 1, 2008 - April 19, 2009

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Athens Toward the Southwest with the accession number of 1986.184.72. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.