A View of Cader Idris, Snowdonia, Wales
John Glover
Details
- Artist
- John Glover
- Title
- A View of Cader Idris, Snowdonia, Wales
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Size
- 65 x 87 cm
- Details
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Further Information
John Glover achieved great success as a painter in London, both as a watercolourist and oil painter, prior to emigrating to Australia in 1830 where his naturalistic depictions of the Australian light and landscape continue to be revered. His landscapes tend towards the romantic and classical, in the tradition of Claude Lorrain and it is his close observation of nature, based on his wide travels, which elevates his work beyond the picturesque.
Glover moved to Lichfield in 1794, working as a drawing teacher and making sketching trips of picturesque and atmospheric views around Cumberland, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Wales and Scotland in the manner of artists whose work he admired, including Thomas Gainsborough, Richard Wilson, Gaspard Poussin, Salvatore Rosa and especially Claude Lorrain. Indeed, Glover was known as the “English Claude”.
He travelled throughout France and Germany in 1814, exhibiting at the Paris Salon, where his painting The Bay of Naples was acclaimed by Louis XVIII and won a gold medal. Glover regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy (1795 – 1804) and in 1804 he became a founding member of the Society of Painters in Watercolours, achieving much to elevate this artform and increase its popularity. The success of his watercolours led to Glover moving to London where he taught painting, becoming President of the Water Colour Society in 1807 and exhibiting at the Society of Painters in Oil and Water-Colours from 1810 – 1827.
In 1820, Glover opened his own well-patronised gallery in Bond Street where he could exhibit his paintings and the work of his son William and pupils including Edward Price. In 1823 Glover became a founding member of the Society of British Artists, remaining a member until his death and regularly including works for exhibition. Glover arguably became the most important landscape artist outside Europe, maintaining his reputation in England and forging a new following and great success in Australia. Glover’s influence continues to this day, with the John Glover Art Prize one of Australia’s most significant awards for landscape painting.