Dimensions: support: 88 x 154 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: There's a quiet stillness to this watercolor. Editor: That's Joshua Cristall's "Fields at Sunset." Cristall, who lived from 1765 to 1847, captured this scene on a small support, only 88 by 154 millimeters. Curator: The band of trees appears almost as a dark veil, contrasting with the openness of the field. It speaks of boundaries, both seen and unseen. Editor: Absolutely, and landscape paintings like this became popular as Britain rapidly industrialized. They offered a vision of an unspoiled, perhaps idealized, rural life. Curator: The muted tones echo a sense of memory, or perhaps a dream, a longing for connection to nature. Editor: Yes, and Cristall presented this in an era grappling with the consequences of progress. It’s a subtle statement about what was being lost. Curator: A poignant reminder that even the simplest images can carry profound cultural meaning. Editor: Indeed. A little window into a world both present and fading.
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Joshua Cristall was a founder member of the Society of Painters in Watercolour, but was unusual in being primarily a figure painter. His exhibits at the Society in its early years were large elaborate compositions on a pastoral or arcadian theme with monumental figures. In later years he also produced watercolours featuring figures observed from the life - Hastings fishermen and Scottish peasant girls, for example. Pure landscape sketches by Cristall are rare. This one (inscribed 'J.C.') was formerly attributed to John Constable. Paul Oppé provided the correct attribution. Cristall may have learned to use washes with such confidence and freedom during the tour he made in Wales in 1803 with Cornelius Varley (no.84). Gallery label, September 2004
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