Artwork Details
39-1/2 x 50-3/8 in. (canvas) 47 x 58-1/2 in. (framed)
Accession NumberGift of Mrs. Nicholas H. Noyes
CopyrightEuropean Painting and Sculpture Before 1800
Color PaletteA. Sanderson Esquire, Scotland. Thomas Agnew and Sons, London, England. Fleischman family, probably New York, New York. Baron Cassel van Doorn. Private collection, New Jersey. (Parke-Bernet Galleries), New York, New York, 14 October 1953, lot 72. (Julius H. Weitzner), New York, New York. (Max Safron), New York, New York. Mrs. Nicholas H. Noyes, Indianapolis, Indiana; given to the John Herron Art Institute, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 1954.
Gainsborough's imaginative and experimental exploration of landscape culminated in 1772 when he created this large, crayon-like drawing "in imitation of oil painting." In defiance of conventional distinctions between drawing and painting, Gainsborough developed an entirely new technique. He glued six sheets of paper together, drew on them with India ink and lead white, fixed the drawing with skim milk, mounted it on canvas, colored it with gouache, and then varnished it.
I'm Sick of Portraits, and wish very much to take my Viol da Gamba and walk off to some sweet Village, where I can paint Landskips and enjoy the fag End of Life in quietness and ease.
-Thomas Gainsborough, 1772
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
Exhibition
Royal Academy of Arts
1772 - 1772
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