Darnley Fine Art has dated this Antique Impressionist Oil Painting to the Victorian era.
1844-1913
Morning Stroll, Marble Hill River Path
Oil on board
Image size: 14 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches (37 x 47 cm)
Period gilt frame
The Barbizon school were drawn together by their passion and desire to elevate landscape painting as a response to the Academic elevation of historical and mythological themes, and functioned as a precursor to the emerging Impressionist movement. The influence of the school is readily apparent in the landscape composition - there are figures in the foreground, but the predominant focus remains the park scenery that they are situated in.
Particularly remarkable in this work is East’s depiction of light and perspective. The sunlight filters through the trees and pools, dappled, on the sandy floor. The fencing and the path are cast in areas of darkness and light, according to how the shadow of the trees fall. Whilst the foreground remains dark, falling under the shadow of the branches above, the luminosity of the background is clearly visible. The work is a beautiful representation of summer sunshine along the Marble Hill River Path, painted in a proto-Impressionist manner.
East adopted a well established three-stage-technique that made great use of the under-painting, a second layer concerned with the correction of values, and a final stage for the addition of details; all painted with lean oil paint. As can be seen in the work, during this process East practically repainted the entire canvas after the first layer and then proceeded to pick out isolated sections that required further reworking and detail.
Darnley Fine Art has dated this Antique Impressionist Oil Painting to the Victorian era.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Darnley Fine Art Profile Page
Sir Alfred East Morning Stroll, Marble Hill River Path
