This buoyant late 19th-century oil painting by English artist Alfred Conquest (1849-1928) depicts a picturesque coastal landscape with a village and figures. Conquest was an accomplished painter of plein air views, predominantly known for his work in north-west France and Cornwall.Children play alongside a turquoise inlet where the grasses meet the golden sands. It’s a slice of unbroken tranquillity. Beyond, the tiled roofs of coastal cottages are punctuated by a Norman church, while the sails of a partially obscured windmill rotate with a passing breeze.Born in Woodford, Essex, little is known about Conquest’s early years but it’s conceivable that he trained in Paris. This is apparent as, from the outset, his loose and spirited style was distinctly influenced by his French contemporaries. It’s possible that he studied with Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911) and Léon Bonnat (1833-1922) at the Académie Julian.In contrast to the British, the French celebrated individual freedo...