British paintings of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries

the long version

This volume is devoted to the paintings in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., that were produced by British artists, or by foreign artists who spent the greater part of their working lives in Britain, from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. Composed mainly of paintings acquired by such prominent nineteenth-century industrialists as Andrew Mellon and P.A.B. Widener, the core of this important collection is a series of portraits by such masters as Gainsborough, Lawrence, Raeburn, and Romney, who represent the "golden age" of British painting. Brilliant landscapes by Constable, Turner, and Wilson, among others, attest to another genre in which British artists have long excelled. Arranged alphabetically by artist, full catalogue entries articulate the history, style, content, and context of each work, with technical notes offering insight into the artists' working methods. The volume also contains introductory biographies of each artist, as well as an up-to-date bibliography for each painting.