An Extensive View of Oxford from Elsfield by Augustus Wall Callcott (1779-1844), 1800. H 91.4 x W 150.4 cm. Collection: Worcester College, University of Oxford. Accession number 018. Acquisition method: gift in memory of H. U. Wilkinson and J. R. M. Wilkinson from C. H. Wilkinson. © The Provost and Fellows of Worcester College Oxford. Downloaded for academic purposes via Art UK.
F. G. Stephens explains that this painting, giving one of the popular views of Oxford from the hills around it, was the first landscape that Callcott exhibited (128). It was shown, along with two portraits, in 1801. At this time, Callcott considered portraiture to be his forte, but his "his early training as a landscapist" (Brown 12) stood him in good stead, and his landscapes also attracted attention. They brought comparisons with Claude, Constable and Turner, not always to his advantage, but illustrious company to be in, all the same. Later, from 1815, he responded to a demand for scenes of rivers and the sea (see Brown 15). — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Brown, David Blayney. Augustus Wall Callcott. London: Tate Gallery, 1981.
An Extensive View of Oxford from Elsfield. Art Uk. Web. 14 April 2023.
Stephens, F. G. A Century of British art from 1737-1837 with notes by F.G. Stevens (The Grosvenor Gallery Winter Exhibition). 2nd ed. revised. London: Henry Good & Son, 1888. 127-130. Internet Archive. Digitised book from the collections of the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, uploaded by library staff. Web. 14 April 2023. [Extract]
Created 14 April 2023