Pangbourne, Looking Across the Weir to Whitchurch. Keeley Halswelle ARSA, RI 1832-1891. Oil on canvas, 14 1/4 x 24 1/2 inches; signed and dated 1882 and inscribed 'Pangbourne,' labelled with title and '"The time so tranquil is and clear/That nowhere shall ye find/ Save on a high and barren hill/ An air of passing wind"/ Alex Hume.' Collection: The Maas gallery, London.
“The year after this painting, in 1883, Halswelle had an exhibition of paintings of the Thames at Agnew’s, entitled Six Years in a House-Boat. The critic of The Times noted ‘the minuteness and patience of the work [recalling] the achievements of the early pre-Raphaelites.’ A similar painting of this period, now in the Tate, prompted The Art Journal’s critic to write in 1884: ‘It is round Sonning and Pangbourne that Mr. Halswelle has found his best inspirations, and entered most fully into the spirit of the place and the special attributes of Thames scenery.’ Halswelle was a devout Christian and this painting is subtitled with lines from Alexander Hume’s poem, A Summer’s Day, thanking God for the beauty of Nature.” — Maas Gallery
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Created 10 February 2015