Richard Parkes Bonington

Richard Parkes Bonington (25 October 1802 Becoming, after his early death, one of the most influential British artists of his time, the facility of his style was inspired by the old masters, yet was entirely modern in its application. His landscapes were mostly of coastal scenes, with a low horizon and large sky, showing a brilliant handling of light and atmosphere. He also painted small historical cabinet paintings in a freely-handled version of the troubadour style.

Life and work

thumb|240px|[[Francis I of France|François I and Marguerite de Navarre (45.7 by 34.5 cm), based on the discovery of a scratched inscription on a window at the Château de Chambord]]

Richard Parkes Bonington was born in the town of Arnold, four miles from Nottingham. His father also known as Richard was successively a gaoler, a drawing master and lace-maker, and his mother a teacher. Bonington learned watercolour painting from his father and exhibited paintings at the Liverpool Academy at the age of eleven.

In 1817, Bonington's family moved to Calais, France, where his father had set up a lace factory. At this time, Bonington started taking lessons from the painter François Louis Thomas Francia, who, having recently returned from England, where he had been deeply influenced by the work of Thomas Girtin, taught him the English watercolour technique. In 1818, the Bonington family moved to Paris to open a lace shop. There he met and became friends with Eugène Delacroix. He worked for a time producing copies of Dutch and Flemish landscapes in the Louvre. In 1820, he started attending the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Antoine-Jean, Baron Gros. In 1826 he visited northern Italy, staying in Venice for a month, and London again in 1827–8. In late 1828 his tuberculosis worsened and his parents sent him back to London for treatment. Bonington died of tuberculosis on 23 September 1828 at 29 Tottenham Street in London, aged 25.</blockquote>

To Laurence Binyon however, "Bonington's extraordinary technical gift was also his enemy. There is none of the interest of struggle in his painting."

A statue to him was erected outside the Nottingham School of Art by Watson Fothergill, and a theatre and primary school in his home town of Arnold are named after him. In addition, the house in which he was born (79 High Street, Arnold) is now named 'Bonington House' and is Grade II listed. The Wallace Collection has an especially large group of 35 works, representing both his landscapes and history paintings.

Gallery

Image:Richard Parkes Bonington 005.jpg|Normandy, c. 1823

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Fishmarket - Google Art Project.jpg|A Fishmarket near Boulogne, 1824

File:A Distant View of St-Omer.png|A Distant View of St-Omer, 1824

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - French Coast with Fishermen - T11900 - Tate.jpg|French Coast with Fisherman, 1824

File:Ruins of the Abbey Saint Bertin.png|Ruins of the Abbey Saint Bertin, 1824

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - On the Seine near Mantes - P339 - The Wallace Collection.jpg|On the Seine near Mantes, 1825

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Rouen - WGA02431.jpg|Rouen, 1825

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Beached Vessels and a Wagon, near Trouville, France - Google Art Project.jpg|Beached Vessels and a Wagon, near Trouville, 1825

File:The Château of the Duchess of Berry.jpg|The Château of the Duchess of Berry, 1825

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - The Pont des Arts, Paris - N06326 - National Gallery.jpg|The Pont des Arts, Paris, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - On the Adriatic - WGA2427.jpg|On the Adriatic, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - The Doge's Palace, Venice - 1985.56 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|The Doge's Palace, Venice, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - View on the Grounds of a Villa near Florence - 2005.291 - Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|View on the Grounds of a Villa near Florence, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - On the Coast of Picardy - WGA02430.jpg|On the Coast of Picardy, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Barges on a River - Google Art Project.jpg|Barges on a River, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington Venice Grand Canal.jpg|Venice, Grand Canal, 1826

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - The Giudecca in Venice 90 bonington 2762.jpg|The Giudecca in Venice, 1826

Image:Richard Parkes Bonington 001.jpg|View of the Lagoon Near Venice, 1827. Louvre

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - View of the Piazzetta near the Square of St Mark, Venice - N00374 - National Gallery.jpg|View of the Piazzetta near the Square of St Mark, Venice, 1827

File:Charles V visits François Ier after the Battle of Pavia.jpg|Charles V visits Francis I after the Battle of Pavia, c. 1827

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - Henri IV and the Spanish Ambassador - P351 - The Wallace Collection.jpg|Henry IV and the Spanish Ambassador, 1827

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Henri III - WGA02429.jpg|Henri III, 1828

File:Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) - Venice, Ducal Palace with a Religious Procession - N05789 - National Gallery.jpg|Venice, Ducal Palace with a Religious Procession, 1828

File:Quentin Durward at Liège.png|Quentin Durward at Liège, 1828

File:Richard Parkes Bonington - Corso Sant'Anastasia, Verona - Google Art Project.jpg|Corso Sant'Anastasia, Verona, 1828

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References and sources

References

Sources

Cambridge, M (2002). Richard Parkes Bonington: Young and Romantic. Nottingham: Nottingham Castle (Catalogue of exhibition at Nottingham Castle Museum in 2002; contains an account of the life and works that includes many references.)
Ingamells, John, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Pictures, Vol I, British, German, Italian, Spanish, Wallace Collection, 1985,
Noon, Patrick & Bann, Stephen. Constable to Delacroix: British Art and the French Romantics. Tate, 2003.

External links

Handprint.com – Biography by Bruce MacEvoy. Retrieved 17 November 2004.
Works by Bonington in the Tate Gallery
Works by Bonington in the Wallace Collection