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William Holman Hunt  1827-1910

William Holman Hunt Our English Coasts, 1852 (`Strayed Sheep') 1852
Our English Coasts, 1852 (`Strayed Sheep')  1852

Oil on canvas
support: 432 x 584 mm frame: 785 x 940 x 85 mm
painting

Presented by The Art Fund 1946

N05665

The location shown in this painting is the Lovers’ Seat, an idyllic spot at Fairlight Glen near Hastings in Sussex. Hunt laboured here from mid-August to December 1852, enduring rain, wind and bitter cold to master his view.Despite the changes in weather, the painting seems a credible replication of particular illuminated moment. The colours used to convey light are daringly juxtaposed in order to intensify the clarity of every surface, a method that astounded audiences on both sides of the Channel.

 (From the display caption July 2007)