Snowdon, after an April Hailstorm [or Snowdon through Clearing Clouds] 1852 - 1862

Curator: Alfred William Hunt offers us a dramatic slice of Welsh landscape with his watercolor, "Snowdon, after an April Hailstorm," created sometime between 1852 and 1862. Editor: Oh, wow, it’s so moody! The stormy sky really dominates, but somehow I also feel like I can smell that wet earth and cold stone. It feels…wild, untamed. Curator: Indeed. Hunt was working in a period where landscape painting was not just about accurate representation but about conveying an emotional or spiritual experience. Notice how the light, although diffused by the clouds, seems to highlight the ruggedness of Snowdon's peaks. Editor: Absolutely, that diffused light is key! It makes everything feel…momentary, like it could all shift again in an instant. I almost want to grab a raincoat. And the colors are surprisingly vibrant for such a gloomy scene – those rusty oranges and muted purples are really striking. Curator: Hunt was influenced by the ideas of John Ruskin, advocating for close observation of nature. This pursuit led to detailed renderings, also capturing nature’s geological forces shaping the very landscape. The image embodies notions of the sublime. Editor: Right, there’s definitely a sense of something greater than myself baked into this. And looking closer, I can really see that attention to detail, particularly in how he’s rendered the textures of the rocks. Each one seems to have its own story etched into its surface. I almost want to reach out and touch one, just to ground myself in all that…atmosphere. Curator: Hunt later became President of the Old Water-Colour Society. His style bridges an earlier picturesque aesthetic with a pre-Impressionist interest in atmosphere. Editor: Interesting! This painting really has gotten under my skin, so expressive for something so seemingly straightforward as a landscape. It kind of makes you reflect on your place within something much larger, indifferent but beautiful nonetheless. Curator: A valuable reminder of art’s capacity to transform observations of nature into profound emotional encounters, through his distinctive and evolving artistic practice.