Richard Parkes Bonington

Key facts

Lived

1802–1828, British

Movement

• Romanticism

1. 1802Born on 25 October in Arnold, near Nottingham.
2. 1817At 14, moved with his family to Calais, France, where his father set up a lace factory. He began studying watercolour under Francois Louis Thomas Francia.
3. 1820Aged 18, enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study under Baron Gros. He befriended Eugene Delacroix, who later praised his work as a type of diamond that flatters and ravishes the eye.
4. 1824At 22, exhibited at the Paris Salon alongside John Constable and Copley Fielding, winning a gold medal. He developed a distinctive technique mixing watercolour with gouache and gum arabic.
5. 1826Aged 24, travelled through Switzerland to Venice, producing luminous landscape and architectural studies that further cemented his reputation across Europe.
6. 1828Died of tuberculosis on 23 September aged 25 at Tottenham Street, London. Despite a career spanning barely a decade, he was recognised as one of the most original painters of the Romantic period.

• How did richard parkes bonington die?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington died in 1828 at the age of 26.
• What is Richard Parkes Bonington's most famous work?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) was an English painter who spent much of his career in France. Although he worked in both oils and watercolours, he is best known for his skill as a watercolourist. Eugène Delacroix, a friend of Bonington, praised the 'lightness of execution' that made his works like 'diamonds'. Bonington is known for seascapes, coastal views, and historical scenes. In 1824, he created lithographs for Baron Taylor's *Voyage Pittoresque dans l’Ancienne France*, a book about Normandy. His paintings from this project, showing the Normandy coast, received acclaim for their fresh, natural style. Examples of such works include *Beach in Normandy* (circa 1826/27) and *The Column of St Mark in Venice* (circa 1826-1828). Another noted watercolour is *Rouen from the Quais* (1821), which depicts the Rouen Cathedral and boats along the river. Bonington's watercolour style features a limited range of colours applied to textured paper. He studied under Baron Gros at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
• What should I know about Richard Parkes Bonington's prints?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington was not a Pre-Raphaelite artist; however, his work was part of a broader boom in printmaking during his lifetime. Etching gained popularity in both France and England. It was widely regarded as the best defence against photography until the 1880s. The Etching Club, properly called the Old Etching Club, was founded in 1838. The aim was to bring together the best etchers of the day to produce a number of etchings periodically for the prestige and profit of the group. Magazines and specialist art journals, such as *The Portfolio* (from 1870), *The Etcher* (1879-83), and *English Etchings* (1881-8), actively promoted the medium. *The Art Journal* issued individual etched plates printed on thick paper and bound into copies of the magazine.
• What style or movement did Richard Parkes Bonington belong to?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) is associated with Romanticism, and his work anticipates Impressionism. He spent most of his working life in France, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Baron Gros. Bonington became close friends with Eugène Delacroix, a painter of the Romantic school. Delacroix admired Bonington's skill, particularly his 'lightness of execution'. Bonington is known for his cityscapes, coastal views, and historical scenes, and he is especially remembered for his skill as a watercolourist. In 1824, Bonington created lithographs of Normandy for Baron Taylor's Voyage Pittoresque dans l’Ancienne France, and he also produced oil paintings of the Normandy coast. Critics attacked Bonington for orienting his work towards specific locations, rather than idealised 17th-century compositions. Bonington's motifs of Normandy and the Île-de-France prefigure the locations favoured by the Impressionists.
• What techniques or materials did Richard Parkes Bonington use?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington, who died young, is remembered as a master watercolourist, though he also worked in oils and lithography. His watercolour style, exemplified by *Rouen from the Quais* (1821), uses a limited palette on textured paper. Eugène Delacroix admired Bonington's "lightness of execution". Bonington studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Baron Gros. Later, Bonington created oil paintings of the Normandy coast, which were praised for their naturalism. These paintings show the influence of English watercolour traditions, with their focus on atmosphere, light, and colour, as well as Flemish and Venetian painting. *Beach in Normandy* (circa 1826/1827) and *The Column of St Mark in Venice* (circa 1826-1828) demonstrate his skill in oils. He made lithographs for Baron Taylor's *Voyage Pittoresque dans l’Ancienne France* in 1824, which led to his oil paintings of Normandy.
• What was Richard Parkes Bonington known for?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (born in Arnold, 1802; died in London, 1828) is remembered as a talented watercolourist, although he also painted in oils later in his short life. Bonington spent much of his career in France; he studied under Baron Gros at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Eugène Delacroix, the Romantic painter, was a close friend. Delacroix admired Bonington's 'lightness of execution'. Bonington is known for city views, historical scenes, and coastal Normandy paintings. In 1824, he produced lithographs for Baron Taylor's *Voyage Pittoresque dans l’Ancienne France*, a volume about Normandy. His Normandy coast oil paintings received acclaim for their naturalism. These paintings show the influence of English watercolour traditions, with their attention to atmosphere, light, and colour. Flemish and Venetian painting also influenced him. His paintings merged realistic, topographical description with painterly elements. French art critics attacked Bonington for orienting his work towards a specific location, rather than an ideal. In 1826, he toured Venice and created many views of the city in oil and watercolour.
• When did Richard Parkes Bonington live and work?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) was an English Romantic painter who spent much of his short career in France. He is known for his watercolour and oil paintings, and for his early adoption of lithography. Born in Arnold, near Nottingham, his family moved to Calais in 1817, where his father established a lace factory. Bonington received early instruction in art from François Louis Thomas Francia. Francia had also taught watercolour painting to J. M. W. Turner. In 1818, the Bonington family moved to Paris. There, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. He also worked in the studio of Antoine-Jean, Baron Gros. Bonington became friendly with Eugène Delacroix. The two artists influenced each other's work. Bonington gained recognition at the Paris Salon. He won a gold medal in 1824. His subject matter included coastal scenes, historical subjects, and genre paintings. He travelled extensively, visiting England, Scotland, and Italy. These journeys provided material for his art. He died of tuberculosis in London at the age of 25. Despite his early death, Bonington's work had a significant impact on French and English painting.
• Where can I see Richard Parkes Bonington's work?+

  Paintings by Richard Parkes Bonington are held by museums and private collections in Europe and North America. For example, the Detroit Institute of Arts holds *Diana and Endymion* and *The Holy Family*. The National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin) holds *Acis and Galatea* and *The Holy Family with Ten Figures*. The National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh) has *The Feast of the Gods*. The Duke of Sutherland Collection, on loan to the National Gallery of Scotland, includes *Moses Striking the Rock*. Other European museums that hold paintings by Bonington include the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (Dresden), which owns *The Adoration of the Magi* and *The Exposing of Moses*; the Niedersächsische Landesgalerie (Hanover), which has *The Inspiration of the Lyric Poet*; the Hermitage Museum (Leningrad), which owns *The Deposition*, *Esther Before Ahasuerus*, *Four Putti and Two Dogs*, and *The Holy Family in Egypt*; the Musée Fesch (Ajaccio, Corsica), which has *Midas at the Source of the Pactolus*; and the Staatliche Museen (Berlin), which holds *Armida Carrying Off Rinaldo* and *Self-Portrait*.
• Where was Richard Parkes Bonington from?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington was born near Nottingham, in the village of Arnold, on 25 October 1802. His father, also named Richard Bonington, worked as a drawing master and lace maker. His mother, Eleanor Parkes, had a background in business. The Bonington family moved to France in 1817, initially to Calais, where the elder Richard Bonington established a lace factory. Around 1818, they relocated to Paris. There, the younger Bonington studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. He also worked in the studio of Baron Antoine-Jean Gros. Although Bonington spent much of his career in France, and his artistic style was influenced by French painting, he remained British by birth and upbringing. His early artistic training in England, combined with his later studies in France, shaped his distinctive approach to watercolour and oil painting. He died in London in 1828.
• Who did Richard Parkes Bonington influence?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington's work influenced the Impressionists. Bonington, who died young in 1828, belonged to an English sketching club of the late eighteenth century. The group worked directly from nature, creating light landscape sketches. Bonington's watercolour work had a limpidity, grace, and sensation of air that later appealed to the Impressionists. He spent a good deal of time in France, studying with Gros and becoming close to Delacroix. Bonington painted Normandy and the Ile-de-France; these locations were later painted by the Impressionists. The Impressionists were also familiar with John Constable, from whom they learned to appreciate the integrity of the landscape and the expressive possibilities of painterly brushwork. They also knew the work of Joseph Mallord William Turner, the leader of the English school for sixty years, until 1851. Turner depicted atmospheric effects, such as fog and haze. His watercolour series, "Rivers of France", began a painterly study of the Seine, which the Impressionists later took up. It included a view of Rouen Cathedral, prefiguring Monet's own series.
• Who influenced Richard Parkes Bonington?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) was an English painter who spent much of his working life in France. He studied with Gros at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Bonington was also close friends with Eugène Delacroix; Delacroix admired the 'lightness of execution' in Bonington's work. He was also influenced by artists in the English sketching club, a group interested in working directly from nature. Bonington is known for his watercolour style, characterised by a limited range of colours applied to textured paper. He painted city views, historical scenes, and landscapes, especially those of Normandy and the Île-de-France. Some have noted the subtle sensation of the surrounding air in his work. Bonington's paintings of Rouen Cathedral predate Monet's later series of the same subject. He also depicted the landscapes of Normandy and the Ile-de-France, locations where all the Impressionists would much later paint.
• Who was Richard Parkes Bonington?+

  Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828) was an English painter who spent much of his career in France. He is known for his skill as a watercolourist, although he also painted in oils later in his short life. Bonington studied under Baron Gros at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He became friends with Eugène Delacroix, who praised the 'lightness of execution' that made Bonington's works so appealing. Bonington painted city views, historical scenes, and coastal scenes, particularly in Normandy. In 1824, he created lithographs for Baron Taylor's volume on Normandy, *Voyage Pittoresque dans l’Ancienne France*, and also produced oil paintings of the Normandy coast. His work is characterised by its exploration of atmosphere, light, and colour, combining realistic topographical detail with painterly elements. Although criticised by some French critics for focusing on specific locations rather than idealised views, his paintings of Venice were very popular, leading him to produce many versions in oil and watercolour. His wide seashore depictions also influenced J.M.W. Turner.