Unknown (British - 19th century)

View on the River Wye

c. 1830
This celebrated view is the epitome of the picturesque, a concept that equated Nature and Art. Such scenes were evocative of 17th-century landscape painting, hence “picture-like.” The appeal of such places – real or imagined – lay in their untamed beauty, as if Nature had designed the scene for our pleasure. The composition emphasizes the thrilling sight: floating above the figures, we can scan the entire vista at once. Frame: moulded ornament over wooden substructure, gilded. Britain, first half 19th century
Title
View on the River Wye
Date
c. 1830
Medium
Painting
Materials
oil on paper, mounted to canvas
Dimensions
49.5 x 66.5 cm; image: 48.4 x 65 cm
Nationality
British
Credit line
Gift of Robert A. Pacaud, Ottawa, 1989, in memory of his father, George W. Pacaud
Accession number
30388