Travers specialised in landscapes, particularly coastal scenes from different parts of Britain. Here he shows the moment of returning calm as a rain shower ceases and the air lightens, an atmospheric effect well known in the rainy climate of Britain. To add scale and life to his picture, the artist shows a lad equipped with a landing net and a long fishing rod. The precise location of the scene is uncertain--the title is given as Whitsand Bay, Devon, but since there is no place by this name in Devon it seems more likely to be either Whitesand Bay near Land's End, or Whitsand Bay near Torpoint, both in Cornwall.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (probably, painted)
Date
ca. 1851-1859 (painted)
Artist/maker
Travers, George (artist)
Materials and Techniques
oil on canvas
Marks and inscriptions
'G Travers'
Dimensions
Height: 45.7 cm estimate, Width: 61 cm estimate
Object history note
Bequeathed by Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend, 1868
Descriptive line
Oil painting, 'Whitsand Bay, Devon - Rain Passing Off', George Travers, ca. 1851-1859
[Frame dimensions 64 x 79 cm]
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, p. 281
The following is the full text of the entry.
"TRAVERS, George (exhibiting 1851-1865)
Exhibited six landscapes at the RA between 1851 and 1859, 11 at the BI 1852-1863, nine at the SBA 1854-65, and 14 elsewhere. He sent works from an address in Poplar, East London, and the locations of his landscapes included Essex, Jersey, Wales and Scotland.
Whitsand Bay, Devon - Rain Passing Off
1424-1869
Canvas, 45.7 X 61 cm (18 X 24 ins) Signed 'G Travers' bl
Townshend Bequest 1869
Travers exhibited a painting with this title at the BI in 1853, its price given in the catalogue as £15. It was not noticed by the reviewers of the Art Journal or Athenaeum. The scene depicted is presumably the Whitesand Bay on the south coast of Cornwall, north-west of Rame Head.
EXH: ?BI 1853 (62)
Ronald Parkinson"
Vikutoria & Arub?to Bijutsukan-z? : eikoku romanshugi kaigaten = The Romantic tradition in British painting, 1800-1950 : masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum / selected by Mark Evans [Japan : Brain Trust], 2002. 185 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm.
Exhibition History
The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950: Masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum (Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo, Kobe, Japan 28/01/2003-06/04/2003)
The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950: Masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum (Koriyama City Museum of Art 22/11/2002-27/12/2002)
The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950: Masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum (Matsuzakaya Museum, Nagoya, Japan 19/10/2002-11/11/2002)
The Romantic Tradition in British Painting 1800-1950: Masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum (Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan 24/08/2002-06/10/2002)
Materials
Oil paint; Canvas
Techniques
Oil painting
Subjects depicted
Landscape; Devon
Categories
Paintings
Collection code
PDP
