Arcadian Landscape

George Barret, the younger

1820–42 · Watercolor over graphite · Drawings and Prints

A founding member of the Old Society of Painters in Water-Colours in 1805 and the author of "The Theory and Practice of Water-Colour Painting" (1840), George Barret numbers among the most influential draftsmen of his generation. In his idyllic landscape watercolors, Barret sought to replicate the golden tones of varnished oil paintings by Claude Lorraine (1600–1682) and Nicolas Poussin (1593/94–1665). Here, a mass of fiery leaves, its irregular pattern achieved through superimposed layers of fluid washes, fills the center of the composition and contrasts with the subtler yellow tones of a distant farmhouse and rustic bridge. Amid the warm harmony of reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and greens, the shepherd's bright blue cap sounds the single cool note.

Artist

George Barret, the younger

Date

1820–42

Medium

Watercolor over graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Michael Hall Esquire, in honor of William Valentiner, 2000