The West Wind, Lynmouth

Sir Edward John Poynter British, born France
1866
Not on view
Coastal cliffs in North Devon sweep away to the west, with sandbanks in the middle-distance marking the outflow of the river Lyn into the Bristol Channel. A green expanse above denotes Exmoor. The artist’s scraping creates lines of breaking surf, and the scale of the watery expanse is emphasized by a tiny steamboat threatened by curtains of rain. At the horizon, the sun breaks through clouds to cast pink reflections across the sea. Poynter, a leading academic painter known for realistic evocations of ancient Rome and biblical subjects, practiced watercolor mostly for his own pleasure. This work was bought by his brother-in-law, the politician Alfred Baldwin, who lent it to important exhibitions at Vienna (1873), the Grosvenor Gallery (1877), and the Fine Art Society (1903).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The West Wind, Lynmouth
  • Artist: Sir Edward John Poynter (British (born France), Paris 1836–1919 London)
  • Date: 1866
  • Medium: Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor)
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 12 in. × 18 1/4 in. (30.5 × 46.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.546
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Sir Edward John Poynter - The West Wind, Lynmouth - The Metropolitan Museum of Art