This charming early 20th-century oil painting by English artist Alfred Augustus Glendening (1840-1921) depicts a picturesque river view with a rowing boat and cottage. Glendening was a distinguished painter of landscapes.
The sound of an oar gently entering water is near-audible in this richly picturesque environment. We’re unshackled from the burdens of industry, immersed in the ample delights of nature, and gently warmed by radiant sunlight breaking through voluminous clouds. Oh to live there, under the thatch of a nestled cottage, where each changing season is just as decorous as the last.
Born in Hampton on Thames, London, Glendening was raised in an area popular with Victorian artists. The river, with its zig-zagging steamboats and silvery waters, provided ample inspiration for a young impressionable mind. This fascinating environment delivered the building blocks for his artistic development, and one can imagine him sketching on the riverbank along with other painters. It would take a little time before he turned to art as a career but, once he pursued his calling, success was inevitable.
Travel during the mid-19th century was becoming a little easier thanks to the emerging rail network, and Glendening filled his sketchbooks on various cross-country trips. In 1864, he debuted at The Royal Society of British Artists with a view from Cumbria’s picturesque Lake District. The following year, exhibiting ‘A Cornfield, Kent’ at the Royal Academy. Many of his works were centred around shimmering water with the Isle of Wight another frequent destination.
Soon, the rising middle classes took note and he became a firm favourite - views in North Wales, the Highlands, Surrey, and Devon captured with a deft touch. His approach was predominantly naturalistic and lacked the grandiosity of many early Victorian painters. His tranquil vignettes are skilfully observed with dapples of light dancing across reflected foliage. The occasional bird picked out with weight and movement.
Glendening’s exquisite draughtsmanship was matched by a keen understanding of tone and value, resulting in balanced compositions with blissful moods. By 1903, he’d exhibited 47 works at the Royal Academy - quite an achievement for a late starter.
Various museums hold examples, including at Southampton and Newport.
Monogrammed/dated in the lower right and held in a gilt frame, which is probably original.
Learn more about Alfred Augustus Glendening in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29” x 21” / 74cm x 53cm
Year of creation: 1901
Labels & Inscriptions: Framer’s label on reverse along with a supplier’s canvas stamp.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure in areas. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £32,000 for ‘Bramber Castle’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, 19th Century Pictures & Continental Watercolours, London, 1988 (lot 111).
Our reference: BRV2121
