E.3586-1922

View of a ruined building with a spire seen above the remains of a wall, visible in the middle distance. Two figures rest amongst classical rubble in the left foreground before a portico.

Bt about 1922 from Miss Alice J. Bowles

 

 

 

 

E60/11 Studies & Designs: View of a ruined Building with a Spire seen above the Remains of a Wall,. The British Museum
E60/11A View of a ruined Building with a Spire seen above the Remains of a Wall, National Museum Wales, Cardiff

 

Wilson's commitment to landscape made soon after his arrival in Rome in late 1751 initiated a sustained burst of activity as a draughtsman which was to gain momentum over the next few years. One major piece of evidence for the seriousness with which he took his new career is provided by the pages of this surviving sketchbook from 1752. Although it contains a number of rapid sketches from nature and the antique, most of its leaves are filled with imaginary essays in landscape design, usually incorporating classical themes such as antique ruins but presented in a rococo manner, 'using lazy curving forms and often capricious combinations of architectural motifs in a way that still recalls the works of Zuccarelli. From this time onwards, however, Wilson slowly but surely abandoned this fantastic notion of landscape art in favour of focusing his attention on the outside world. (Solkin 1982, p. 152)

Sutton & Clements 1968, pp. 15-16, fig. 18; Solkin 1982, pp. 152, 157

 

 

19/09/2017