An 18th Century Classical Landscape Painting

This capriccio was painted at the end of the 18th century by an unknown artist, working under the influence of the great Italian Vedutista tradition, exemplified by artists such as Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain. Their idealised, heroic landscapes were incredibly influential, their paintings showing nature as they thought it should appear. Their style was the foundation of an important school of painters, and artists would continue to paint in Claude and Poussin’s style for generations to come. Their stilistic approach can be described as ‘idealised realism’.

These charming works are characterised by a strong dynamism, a close attention to detail and an overwhelming importance of light: almost all paintings are images either of dawn or twilight; the palette is generally restrained with an emphasis on blues, greys and greens.

Another detail that distinguishes these paintings is the presence, in many of them, of a building quite similar in form to the Pantheon, specifically with coulmns and a cupola as in the present example.