Richard Parkes Bonington was an influential British painter, born on October 25, 1802, in Arnold, a suburb of Nottingham. His work is celebrated for its pioneering influence on the Romantic landscape painting movement, and he is particularly noted for his masterful watercolor landscapes, although he also worked in oils.
Bonington's family moved to Calais, France, when he was quite young, and later settled in Paris. This relocation played a crucial role in his development as an artist. In Paris, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Antoine-Jean Gros, a renowned French painter. During this period, he also came into contact with other pivotal Romantic artists, such as Eugène Delacroix, with whom he formed a significant friendship. Their interactions were mutually influential, with elements of Bonington's fresh and vivid use of color appearing in Delacroix's work.
Despite his British origins, Bonington's style was heavily influenced by French artistic trends of the time. His landscapes and coastal scenes, often painted en plein air (a French expression which means "outdoors"), demonstrated a remarkable sensitivity to atmospheric effects and a delicate touch that differentiated him from his contemporaries. His works are characterized by a lightness and spontaneity, employing a palette that anticipated the Impressionists.
Bonington's career was tragically short; he died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 on September 23, 1828. Despite his brief life, his artistic output was substantial and left a lasting impact on the landscape genre. His paintings are held in high regard and can be found in many major museums, such as the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. His influence was particularly strong on the next generation of British landscape painters, including artists like John Constable and J.M.W. Turner, who admired his innovative techniques. Bonington's approach to landscape painting helped to elevate the status of watercolors as a medium almost equal to oils in the eyes of the public and critics alike.
TODAY: The Saint-Sauveur church still exists, and there still is a market around it.
TODAY: The Saint-Pierre Church still exists.
Cabourg
Cabourg (population: 3,700) is a popular sea resort town located a few kilometers North of Caen.
These were all the paintings that Bonington made in Caen and nearby Cabourg that we were able to find.