IN THE ENGLISH LESSON
A bit about art British painters who have painted travels
Image credit : Tate
Image credit : Birmingham Museums Trust
– The Pass of Saint Gotthard , Switzerland 1803 – 1804
– Joseph Mallord William Turner ( 1775 – 1851 )
– Birmingham Museums Trust
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries , there were surprisingly few restrictions for those wanting to travel to mainland Europe or further . France , the Low Countries , Switzerland and Italy were just some of the countries that attracted generations of British travellers . Among them were many landscape painters who undertook extended tours of the Continent to experience its wealth of cultural and scenic riches . J . M . W . Turner ( 1775 – 1851 ), for example , was an inveterate traveller and journeyed through continental Europe several times .
– View of Orvieto , painted in Rome 1828 , reworked 1830
– Joseph Mallord William Turner ( 1775 – 1851 ) Tate Europe , however , was by no means the only continent that British landscape painters set their sights on .
The more adventurous artists travelled to distant parts of the world in search of places that had rarely , if ever , been committed to canvas . Some artists travelled with expeditions , others travelled alone .
Yet they all shared a desire to experience different cultures and unfamiliar landscapes , and the paintings they produced would ultimately enrich Britain ’ s knowledge and understanding of the world . As Britain seeks to reaffirm its image as an outward-looking nation , it seems apt to look at the work of those artists who set out to see and paint the world .
The selection of artists and paintings featured here will take the armchair traveller on a truly global trip . Thankfully , no jet-lag or seasickness will be experienced and no passport is required .
IN THE ENGLISH LESSON
57