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Introduction

Luminous Landscapes

British Watercolors from the Museum's Collection
May 27 - August 14, 2005

The watercolor medium and landscape subject were auspiciously linked in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the dynamism generated led to a significant artistic achievement. The RISD Museum has a particularly fine collection of this work, primarily due to the remarkable generosity of an anonymous donor. The first gifts were made in 1969 and have continued to the present. The Museum's holdings in this area now number over 800 sheets, illustrating nearly all of the practitioners. The innovations of these artists elevated both the landscape subject and the watercolor medium from their former lowly ranking in British Royal Academy's hierarchy of genres to one of international recognition. Early 18th-century British landscapes were of two types: topographical views, which were recognizable depictions of specific places, and imaginary or idealized views inspired by 17th-century Continental artists in oil such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin. Over the next century, as artists took an increasing interest in the observation of nature, these traditions expanded in new directions. Topographic watercolors from the mid-18th century were typically drawn in graphite or pen and ink and tinted with color washes, such as those by Thomas Jones and Jonathan Skelton. Others, among them Francis Towne and John"Warwick" Smith, began to experiment with more painterly effects. John Robert Cozens took the expressive possibilities of the medium furthest at this time. His sublime views conveyed his emotional response to nature's drama and were extremely influential for British landscape artists of the next generation. The early 19th-century Romantics took a close look at nature increasingly included being attentive to the fleeting effects of weather. Watercolor's luminescence and speed of application allowed artists to capture atmospheric conditions as never before. Working outdoors and quickly to capture changing light effects encouraged spontaneity and invention. With minimal underdrawing, watercolor was directly applied in veils of color washes and loose brushwork, evident in the paintings of David Cox, Peter De Wint, and Richard Parks Bonington. J.M.W. Turner's late watercolor sketches, with their energetic brushwork, radiant color, and dissolving form, his subjects are barely recognizable.Always on SundayAugust 14, 2:30-3:30 pmAre you interested in learning about British watercolors? Join K. Dian Kriz, Associate Professor, History of Art and Architecture, Brown University, for a gallery talk in the exhibition Luminous Landscapes.

Selected Objects

Richard Parkes Bonington

Landscape, ca. 1825

Jonathan Skelton

Castle on the Edge of a Lake, late 1850s

John Robert Cozens

Lake Nemi with a Distant View of Genzano (and Monte Circeo), 1778-1790

John Warwick Smith

Keswick Lake from Castlerigg Farm, ca. 1790-1799

Francis Towne

Vale of St. John, Cumberland, 1786

Jane Ogden

Bluebells and Primroses with a Bird’s Nest, 1866

Thomas Rowlandson

Polruan, Cornwall, after 1790

John Ruskin

Study of Juniper, 1863

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Rainbow: A View on the Rhine from Dunkholder Vinyard, of Ostersprey and Feltzen below Bosnart, ca. 1819

Thomas Shotter Boys

View of Folkstone

Paul Sandby

Landscape with Tree and Pond in the Foreground and Village in the Distances, ca.1790-1800

David Cox the Elder

The Hayfield, 1833

Thomas Hearne

Figures by a Rocky Bank in the Forest, late 1700s

Peter De Wint

Landscape with Trees, Near Lincoln, late 1700s - mid 1800s

Samuel Palmer

Near Underriver, Sevenoaks, Kent, ca. 1843

John Sell Cotman

Rochester Castle, ca. 1830

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Sleaford, Lincolnshire, ca. 1797-98

John Constable

The Dorset Coast, 1816

Thomas Jones

Road to S. Maria de Monti, Naples, 1781

Robert Hills

A View over Chiddingstone, toward Westerham, Kent, ca. 1817-1818

Thomas Gainsborough

Landscape with a Waterfall, 1700s

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Dazio Grande, 1843

Samuel Prout

St. Andrew's, Brunswick, after 1824

Thomas Girtin

Lady Chapel on the river Wansbeck near Bothal in Northumberland, 1798/1799

John Robert Cozens

Third View on the Reichenbach, 1776

George Chinnery

Sunset, late 1700s - mid 1800s

Edward Lear

Garf Harbor, Malta, 1866

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Luminous Landscapes : British Watercolors from the Museum's Collection

May 27 - August 14, 2005
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

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