Underriver–The Golden Valley

ca. 1833

Not on view

While working as a successful portraitist, Linnell produced evocative landscapes for his own pleasure. Between 1825 and 1835 he was close to "The Ancients," a visionary group led by Samuel Palmer—Linnell’s protégé and later his son-in-law. The two often sketched together, and the present work was likely made during a summer visit to Palmer’s home at Shoreham in Kent. Setting aside his typically careful draftsmanship, Linnell adopted Palmer’s flamboyant cursive pen-and-ink style to evoke the rolling fields and hedgerows of the Weald of Kent. Cottage roofs that peek through trees at the base of the foreground hill belong to the village of Underriver. Striking shifts of scale and expressive penwork convey an almost pantheistic response to the English countryside.

Artwork Details

Title: Underriver–The Golden Valley
Artist: John Linnell (British, London 1792–1882 Redhill, Surrey)
Date: ca. 1833
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 10 7/8 × 10 11/16 in. (27.7 × 27.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Jeffrey L. Berenson, 2014
Object Number: 2014.636
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Portrait of a mother and child, John Linnell British, Graphite with watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) — Portrait of a mother and child
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Study of the artist's son, John, John Linnell British, Black and white chalk on light brown paper — Study of the artist's son, John
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The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite — The Lake of Zug
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