Watercolor on medium, slightly textured, cream wove paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 12 x 25 1/4 inches (30.5 x 64.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1975.4.1886
Gallery Label:
By the 1820s Varley’s approach to nature had shifted. Instead of teaching aspiring artists to “Go to Nature for Everything,” he began to insist that “Nature wants cooking.” His point was that landscapes needed to be composed according to certain artistic conventions, and the most important influence on Varley’s later watercolors were the paintings of Claude Lorrain. In this view of the great fortress at Chepstow, Varley takes a high viewpoint above the River Wye, from where the valley can be seen spreading out into the distance towards the Severn. The unmistakably Claudean device—of framing trees to the right, an expansive horizon, and an even light falling across the scene—suggests a harmonious landscape that quite ignores the castle’s original purpose as a formidable military stronghold. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)