Richard Bonington devoted his work to drawing beautiful coastal nature with its low horizons and high skies. The artist masterfully mastered the art of light transmission and reproduced in the paintings the atmosphere of the place he depicted with amazing accuracy. In addition to classical painting, Bonington was engaged in interior design in the free style of the troubadours.

Biography

The boy received his first lessons in watercolor painting from his father, a skilled draftsman. Already at the age of 11, the young artist made his debut at the exhibition of the Liverpool Academy of Arts.

Richard Bonington, together with his parents, settled in the French city of Calais in 1817, where the head of the family founded a lace factory. Here the young man continued his studies in drawing with the watercolorist Louis Francia, a student of the famous Briton Thomas Girtin. And in 1818, the Boningtons again changed their place of residence, settled in the capital of France and opened a lace shop here.

In Paris, Richard’s passion for painting grew stronger. He often visited the Louvre, where he copied the landscapes of the Dutch masters. And in 1820 he decided to enter the Paris School of Fine Arts. There he fell into the class of Antoine-Jean Gros. At the same time, Richard Bonington met Eugene Delacroix, whose friendship lasted for many years.

Creativity

Bonington often traveled to the suburbs of Paris and painted landscapes from nature. Already in 1822 he exhibited his first works at the Paris Salon. Working with watercolors, he simultaneously tried his hand at oil painting and lithography. He created illustrations for the work of Baron Taylor called “Scenic Travels in Ancient France”. He also developed his own series of architectural sketches “Remains and Fragments”. Richard Bonington spent most of 1824 at Dunkirk, painting charming seascapes. In the same year, having exhibited one watercolor and four oil paintings at the Salon, he received the main gold award.

In 1825, the master resumed close contact with Delacroix they met during a visit to Alexandre-Marie Colin. Then they returned to Paris and worked for some time in the same workshop. Under the influence of Delacroix, Richard Bonington, who in recent years painted exclusively landscapes, returned to the historical genre again. Young artists borrowed ideas from each other, looking for new ways to convey color and shadow. And in the same period, the talented Bonington developed his own technique of mixing watercolor with gum and gouache, which created the effect of oil painting.