Description
Joseph Farington made regular summer sketching tours throughout Britain and in 1788 he spent three months touring Scotland. This watercolour is an example of Farington’s mastery of the panoramic landscape format. He delineated between the different planes of the composition, subtly graduating colour from light to dark as the landscape receded, drawing the eye into the distance along the meandering course of the river. Although this technique followed the classical precedent set by esteemed landscape artists such as Claude Lorrain, here Farington did not employ the Claudean framing device, a technique often used by his contemporary, John Robert Cozens. Farington’s watercolours instead clearly followed in the English topographical tradition of landscape painting, rendering views of town and country not only for aesthetic purposes, but also as a means of accurately recording places. While the inclusion of a group of cows in the foreground demonstrated Farington’s debt to his drawing master Richard Wilson, an exponent of the Italianate pastoral landscape, similarities with his tutor end there. Although topography was a rather outmoded form of watercolour painting by the late 1780s, Farington’s meticulous and neat approach to landscape lent itself to the genre, and he was keen to have his watercolours translated into more marketable printed images. For topographical view making sites were chosen for their historic importance and interest. In the distance just to the left of centre the twin peaks of Dumbarton Rock can be seen, upon which Dumbarton Castle sits. There had been a castle on this impressive spot, where the River Leven joins the River Clyde, since the fifth century, and from the Middle Ages it had been a royal residence. For many centuries the castle had been a stronghold, away from the political centre of Scotland, where royalty could seek refuge as necessary. From the twin peaks of the rock, called White Tower Crag and the Beak, one could see for miles, ensuring that enemies could not attack the castle unexpectedly.
Image Licence
All Rights Reserved
Image Credit
©The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
Location
Dumbarton, Dumbartonshire, Scotland
Country
Scotland
Tags
Category
Landscapes & Seascapes
