A View Near the Arco Scuro, Looking Towards the Villa Medici, Rome. #2

by Francis Towne

Title

A View Near the Arco Scuro, Looking Towards the Villa Medici, Rome. #2

Artist

Francis Towne

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

A View Near the Arco Scuro, Looking Towards the Villa Medici, Rome. Artist: Francis Towne (British, Isleworth, Middlesex 1739-1816 Exeter). Dimensions: sheet: 12 13/16 x 18 7/8 in. (32.5 x 48 cm). Date: 1785.
Towne left Exeter, in southwestern England, to visit Italy in 1780-81. After his return, a former student commissioned this Roman view showing a steep road falling away over a hill toward the Villa Medici (now the Académie Française). Towne made a series of sketches along the rural road behind the villa in November 1780 and used one as the basis of the later composition. His interest lay not in famous landmarks but in capturing effects of light falling across overgrown foliage, contrasted with patches of deep shade. Employing an innovative method to create tone, he began with layers of pure color then moved on to pigments mixed with brown or black. This reversal of the traditional order allowed greater subtlety, particularly in the darks. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

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June 21st, 2019

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