Richard Cooper Junior

Italian Composition

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Richard Cooper Junior c.1740–c.1814
Medium: Ink and watercolour on paper
Dimensions: Support: 293 × 438 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
Reference: T08827

Display caption

Cooper is known to have drawn with a reed pen, which he has used here with rapid and flowing movements to produce strongly contrasted areas of light and shade. He delights in using quick rounded pen strokes to build up the foliage and shadows. The yellow-brown tone of his broad washes suggest the ink he used was bistre. The washes have been diluted and applied over the iron gall pen work, causing the ink lines underneath to 'bleed'. The sheet is left bare in places to suggest sunlight falling on the scene.

Gallery label, August 2004

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