Near Sorrento, John Brett
Link is to zoomable image on Google Art Project; high resolution downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons; original is in the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, UK.
I got to see the sea and curve of the land from the cliffs of Sorrento when I visited the Amalfi Coast some years ago, and that was astonishingly beautiful, but I’ve never seen the area from the sea.
Here, John Brett gives us a striking view, vibrant with light and atmosphere, in watercolor and gouache. (The description says “bodycolour”, but I’m thinking the museum is using that term in the general sense of opaque watercolor, rather than the more specific meaning of watercolor pigment in hide glue).
I love the way Brett has carved out the prominences of the cliff face with light and texture, and the nuanced way he has defined the distant mountains in considerable detail without bringing them forward.
Amazing painting- could look at this for ages. This takes me right back to the Amalfi coast! Love the little white buildings glistening on the hillside, the purpley shadows in the cliffs, and the little boat with people in is so perfect!
Yes, it’s the little touches that make the difference. The boat gives it a wonderful sense of scale.