A seapiece, a calm
(c. 1783)
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1948
- Gallery location
- 19th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
To show the effects of light effectively, Thomas Gainsborough painted scenes on glass transparencies and viewed them by means of a ‘peep-show box’, which still survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Gainsborough’s experiments with this medium demonstrate his attention to light and atmosphere, in preference to mere replication of detail. In A seapiece, a calm, which was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1783, Gainsborough achieves his realistic effects by focusing on the qualities of light, atmosphere and water.
Artwork Details
Felton Bequest, 1948
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Level 2, NGV International