Alfred Walter Williams

Alfred Walter Williams, Barmouth Sands, North Wales, Oil Painting

1887

This charming late 19th-century oil painting by English artist Alfred Augustus Glendening (1840-1921) depicts a picturesque woodland view with sheep. Glendening was a distinguished painter of landscapes. Amid the gentle golden glow of British summertime, sheep graze on a country track flanked by several mature trees. It’s likely to be a view in Sussex or Kent and possibly painted at Knole Park near Sevenoaks. 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. Today, various museums hold examples including at Southampton and Newport. Signed/dated lower left and held within a later frame. Provenance: Private collection, UK. Artist’s auction maximum: £32,000 for ‘Bramber Castle’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, 19th Century Pictures...

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