Richard Parkes Bonington

After the Napoleonic War, cultural exchange with continental Europe resumed with artists travelling back and forth across the Channel. For its variety, originality and painterly qualities British painting was especially admired in France. The appearance of British pictures in the so-called ‘English salon’ (Salon des Anglais) in Paris in 1824 encouraged French artists to visit London. Bonington lived in Paris, and French Coast with Fishermen was almost certainly included in the 1824 Salon. Bonington’s exhibit caused a sensation and like John Constable, he was awarded a gold medal.