The Rest of the Travellers, English school

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) Circle of
The Rest of the Travellers

Oil on canvas
Size: 38 x 30 cm


Thomas Gainsborough, an 18th century English painter, is most famous for his many portraits of noblemen. He is also considered the leader of landscape painting in England and influenced many artists. Gainsborough was inspired by the Dutch painters of the seventeenth century, in particular by the use of a palette composed of shades of green and brown. These autumnal colours, which convey a certain melancholy, heralded the romanticism that was to prevail in the first half of the 19th century. The landscapes of Gainsborough and his circle evoke a nature threatened by the rise of the Industrial Revolution.
In our landscape, the fluidity and liveliness of the brushstrokes give a sense of movement. Indeed, the clouds and leaves of the branches seem to come alive in the wind, announcing the arrival of a threatening storm. The treatment of the travellers in the foreground raises the tonal palette by using the three primary colours of the rest of the composition.