Hampstead Heath

John Linnell 1792 - 1882

Summary

Pastoral landscape scene. In the centre foreground are a group of three figures and their animals resting on a well-trodden pathway: the left figure is seated on the ground with his legs outstretched, facing to the right, with a dog standing beside him; the central figure stands forward-facing with a pannier and fork; and the third figure to the right bends over a large sack. To the right of the path are a grazing donkey and a bullock; to the left of the path, below a tree growing from a bank of red earth, is a fourth figure crouching on the ground, facing away from the viewer. The path curves from the centre foreground to the right, over a slight rise, on the brow of which is a figure on horseback leading a herd of livestock; beyond is a line of trees through which can be seen the spire of a distant church. To the left is a pool or slow-moving, meandering river, with a pair of figures wading into it. On the left horizon is a line of hills depicted in blue tones; to the right are overhanging rain clouds. Original frame, gilt and with continuous raised foliage pattern in wood.

Display Label

Gallery text panel Expressing Passions Romanticism in Focus In 1772, Sir Joshua Reynolds told the Royal Academy that perfect works of art 'cannot express the passions'. Harmony, uniformity and restraint were preferred and there was little room for emotional content. This stress on classical qualities characterised the 1700s, echoing the stability and confidence of Georgian society. Artists of the early 1800s redressed the balance, placing human experience above artistic conventions and injecting greater personal vision into their work. This was largely in response to a more turbulent age of revolution, war and political reform. Uncertainty and rebellion were echoed in art through subjects representing disturbance and in an emphasis on individuality and imagination. The term Romanticism defines these developments. Although there was never an organised movement, there are distinctive hallmarks of Romantic art. These include a more direct response to nature and a new stress on colour as a means of expression. As artists became increasingly guided by their intuition, they grew more independent of patrons' demands: artistic freedom and experiment entered a new age.