View in Lyons title : View of Avignon & Italian View & An Italian Town (previous titles)

William Marlow 1740 - 1813

Summary

Rural landscape in Lyons, France. Looking across a wide river, buildings line the shores of the water, their images reflected below. In the foreground, a peasant woman stands on the shore beneath the walls of the river bank; she looks out across the water as a man kneels by her side. Behind the buildings on the opposite side of the river, a monastery stands upon a steep hillside looking over the scene. More hills and trees are visible in the background, beneath a hazy sky with scattered clouds.

Display Label

Grand Tour and Grand Style The Influence of Travel Improvements in European travel during the 1700s had a wide-ranging impact on British culture. A particularly significant influence was the Grand Tour, which became almost obligatory for young gentlemen. Grand Tourists were led across Europe by tutors to study art, history and politics for two or three years. The Grand Tour focused on Italy, particularly Rome, and often incorporated new archaeological sites such as those at Herculaneum and Pompei, near Naples. Ancient antiquities were heavily trafficked across Europe and continental works of art flooded into Britain. A period of especially active collecting took place between the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 and the rise of Napoleon in the 1790s. As more artists and designers also visited the continent their work became increasingly informed by travel. The serious themes of classical antiquity and European art led to a new departure in painting called the Grand Style. This championed classical, historical or literary subjects, and inspired radical changes in portraiture and landscape. Widespread interest in Greek and Roman remains also fostered fresh interpretations of ancient designs by pioneers of decorative art such as Josiah Wedgwood.