Richard Wilson

RICHARD WILSON (Penegoes, Montgomeryshire, 1714 - Denbighshire, 1782).
"View of Naples."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Unsigned.
It presents some faults in the painting.
Measurements: 73 x 95 cm; 89 x 110,5 cm (frame).

Richard Wilson was one of the most important British landscape painters of the 18th century. He drew much of his inspiration for his work from the imaginary landscape painting of Claude Lorrain. In this canvas we see a typical English Baroque view, albeit contextualized in the Neapolitan countryside with Vesuvius in the last instance, rigorously ordered in a thoughtful and rational composition. Nature is placid and captured with attention to detail and naturalism, and the landscape is brought to life and animation by the characters dotted in the foreground: we see a peasant woman with her son in front of a fountain, highlighted by the bright tones of their clothes and worked with particular attention to the description of the types. The composition is clearly structured around the concept of nature. Thus, in the foreground we find two typically Italian trees whose canopy largely covers the blue sky of the composition. This nature sees its continuity in the last planes: an esplanade that combines water surfaces and vegetation is dotted with small buildings, a characteristic of the Italian landscape of the seventeenth century. Finally, it is worth mentioning the coloring used, of brilliant tonality, especially for the sky.

Richard Wilson studied in London with Thomas Wright. He was able to portray the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. In 1755 he returned to England, and became one of the first English landscape painters. He exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1760. When the Royal Academy of Arts was established in 1768 he was one of the original members, and was a regular contributor to its exhibitions until 1780. He was not a popular artist during his lifetime. However, after his death, his fame grew and in 1814 about 70 of his works were exhibited at the British Institution. Currently part of his work is preserved in the National Gallery.