The Dark Side of the Landscape: The Rural Poor in English Painting 1730â "1840 (Cambridge Paperback Library)

Barrell, John

ISBN 10: 0521276551 / ISBN 13: 9780521276559

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1983

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Dark Side of the Landscape: The Rural Poor in English Painting 1730â "1840 (Cambridge Paperback Library)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1983
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521276551
• ISBN 13: 9780521276559
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The eighteenth-century saw a radical change in the depiction of country life in English painting: feeling less constrained by the conventions of classical or theatrical pastoral, landscape painters attempted to offer a portrayal of what life was really like, or was thought to be like, in England; and this inevitably involved a distinct approach to the depiction of the rural poor. John Barrell's influential 1980 study shows why the poor began to be of such interest to painters, and examines the ways in which they could be represented so as to be an acceptable part of the décor of the salons of the rich. His discussion focuses on the work of three painters: Thomas Gainsborough, George Morland and John Constable. Throughout the book, Barrell draws illuminating comparisons with the literature of rural life and with the work of other painters. His terse and vigourous account has provided a landmark for social historians and literary critics, as well as historians of art.

Book Description

A vigorously written account of the changes in the depiction of the rural poor in English landscape painting between 1730 and 1840.