Dimensions support: 718 x 997 mm frame: 1050 x 1335 x 130 mm
Curator: John Linnell, born in 1792, painted this work titled "Contemplation." It's currently held here at the Tate. Editor: It has an introspective feel, doesn't it? The composition draws the eye inward, towards the figure nestled in the landscape. Curator: Yes, Linnell’s use of light and shadow creates a sense of enclosure, almost like a visual representation of the inner mind. The shepherd reading in the vale speaks to the social function of art as a means of escape from the industrialising world. Editor: Absolutely. The texture of the foliage, built up through layered brushstrokes, enhances this sense of depth and invites the viewer to lose themselves in the details. Curator: It demonstrates Linnell’s profound engagement with the pictorial traditions of landscape painting. Editor: Such a beautiful, contemplative piece. Curator: Indeed, it offers a window into both the artistic and historical landscape of its time.
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This picture shows a shepherd at rest, reading, while his sheep are gathered nearby. With its loving treatment of the trees and intense colour and light, Linnell’s painting carefully fabricates an ideal of the countryside as a place of plenty and ease. It was, though, created at a time when agriculture and rural labour were undergoing traumatic changes.Linnell’s depiction of the landscape reflects his passion for the scenery around his home at Redhill, Surrey. Like his friend, Samuel Palmer, he presented a vision of the British landscape rich in poetic and spiritual associations. Gallery label, July 2007
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