Attributed to THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, R.A. (English 1727 - 1788). Old Castle. Oil on canvas. 12-1/4 X 18-1/4 inches. PROV...

Description

Attributed to THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, R.A. (English 1727 - 1788)
Old Castle
Oil on canvas
12-1/4 X 18-1/4 inches

PROVENANCE:
Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY;
Mr. and Mrs. F. Howard Walsh, Fort Worth, Texas;
Walsh Family Art Trust

A founding member of the Royal Academy known for his eccentricities and his development of a unique picturesque landscape style, Thomas Gainsborough was a leading figure in 18th-century British art, along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds. The present picture is reminiscent of Gainsborough's early career when, in the 1750s, he returned to his native Suffolk and painted small scale landscapes in the manner of such Dutch masters as Jacob van Ruisdael and Jan Wijnants. He also restored and copied the works of other 17th-century Dutch artists.

The extent to which such early landscapes depict known sites is unclear. Certainly Gainsborough's renderings of the English countryside, with their compelling contrasts of light and shadow, were influential on later landscape painters such as John Constable.



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