'The Landscape Painter's Studio in the Age of Exhibitions: Private Galleries in London, from Gainsborough to Constable and Turner, c. 1780-1850'

The research culminating from this CDP would establish a greater understanding of how the production and reception of rural landscape painting was moulded by the urban studio-cum-gallery. The framework of the methodology would be based on content analysisand Connoisseurship: an equal distribution of statistical analysis, qualitative archival researchand visual analysis.iLiterature over the last thirty years has moved away from understanding landscape painting as observational record, but rather an expression of the human experience, asexplored in Simon Schama's Landscape & Memory.iiI would begin with a broad survey of the interest and commercial appeal of landscape painting in this period, in both watercolours and oils. What constitutes a 'British' landscape -is it defined by the artist's nationality, the scene illustrated or the artistic style? A considerable factor is consideringhow artists were educated in landscape painting. Did all artists attemptit? What was the formal training or were artist's reliant on otherswho promoted the education of landscape painting, such as Alexander Cozens? What was the advice about travelling around Britain?iiiSubsequently I would quantify the success of landscape painting by statisticallyanalysingartists living in London and theirsuccesses of selling landscapes in the Royal Academy and other commercial locationsofthe 'golden age'. This would require geographically determining the boundaries of London using a contemporary map, setting the parameters for the sample. Were the artist's own studio galleries a source of interest to their contemporaries? Were they economically viable spaces in which to sell landscapes? Did the success depend upon the medium?To refine the research further I would use a series of artists as case studies, drawing on documentary evidence and close visual analysis. Kim Sloan, in The Poetry of Landscape, focuses on Alexander and John Robert Cozens, using their biographical experiences to map their careers and the motivations behind each of theirworks.ivEssential resources include Gainsborough's House, Sir John Soan's Museum, Hogarth's House, Turner'sHouse (Twickenham), Royal Academyarchive, the Witt and Conway Libraries and Yale Centre for British Art.Tate, in this respect, is an ideal CDP partner for itsextensive archive.Additional artists to those suggested in the advertcould include Joseph William Allen, George Vincent, Robert Barker, William Marlow and William Payne, all of whom were working in London during the 'age of exhibitions '. Due to arts institutions being biased towards admitting men, the results of this study could riskbeing skewed by gender. To address this factor I propose writing case studies on two female artists and analyse their role in the production of landscape paintings and the market.Qualitative data, such as newspaper reviews, artjournals and contemporary reports(such as the diaries of Joseph Farrington), could be used to understand the experience of visiting these artists in their studio galleries and the response to their landscape painting. Martin Myrone reviewed John Martin's career, whilst Richard Johns delved into Robert Aggas' work, each using economic and
biographical details to contextualise the artists' importance in the art market.vWe can gain greater insight into the artists'working practice in the studio anden plein air at the location they were illustrating. Furthermore,we will gain an understanding of how the urban presentation of the painting would shape the viewer's encounter with the rural subject matter, which was preliminarily examined by Giles Waterfield.viHow did the artists curate their own studio gallery space? Were they accessible or exclusive?