On the Thames at Hammersmith

John Varley

ca. 1836 · Watercolor and graphite · Drawings and Prints

Varley's delightfully fresh watercolor describes a Thameside scene on a sunny summer day. It centers on a large tree with spreading limbs and abundant foliage, a semi-rural riverbank beyond lined with unadorned buildings and a chimneyed brickworks. Rapidly applied washes describe a slatted fence silhouetted against sunlit grass and workers pursuing everyday tasks. Deft strokes evoke rushes, flowers and a drinking cow. For most of his career, the artist devoted himself to idealized compositions demonstrating principles that he promoted as a successful drawing master. At this moment, public interest in Varley's formal exhibition pieces had waned, and he felt free to create a group of brilliant studies in Hammersmith and Chiswick, their washy effects showing appreciation for technical innovations introduced by Peter De Wint, one of his most talented students.

Artist

John Varley

Date

ca. 1836

Medium

Watercolor and graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013