Friday, June 1, 2012

John Atkinson Grimshaw

John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893) was a Victorian painter best known for his use of moonlight. Taken as a whole, his artwork can be criticized for redundancy, but each painting taken on its own merits is lovely.

Grimshaw was prolific; this is the first of five sets of his work that I will be posting.

 A Golden Beam

 A Golden Country Road

 A Moonlit Lane (1874)

 A Mossy Glen (1864)

 A Wet Road by Moonlight, Wharfedale (1872)

 A Wooded Valley (1871)

 An Extensive Meadow Landscape with Geese by a Stream (1892)

 Arriving at the Hall (1878)

 Autumn Afterglow (1883)

 Autumn Evening

The final painting in this set, Autumn Glory: The Old Mill, is one of my favorite all-time paintings. Grimshaw's treatment of light is particularly exquisite here. The artist's biography at Tate Museum has this to say about this painting:
The culmination of this early period is Autumn Glory: The Old Mill, in which all the detail of leaves, twigs, ivy and moss-covered stone is painstakingly shown. 
Autumn Glory: The Old Mill (1869)

2 comments:

  1. I love his work! Especially the two Moonlight ones. I have a print of a picture that seems to be of similar style. I am wondering if you may be able to tell me who the artist is. I could send a photo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love his work! Especially the two Moonlight ones. I have a print of a picture that seems to be of similar style. I am wondering if you may be able to tell me who the artist is. I could send a photo.

    ReplyDelete