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Lot Essay
This is an exceptional work by the artist, painted in 1873, when he was just beginning to develop the theme of the moonlit 'nocturne' for which he is best known. Later in his career, in the full glow of commercial success, Grimshaw was apt to repeat his compositions, which were sometimes executed with less care than his earlier work. In this example the heritage of the artist's Pre-Raphaelite landscapes that he produced at the start of his career is still evident. Every twig and branch is described with painstaking detail, and the moonlight that illuminates the picture is suffused with poetic intensity. Whistler, a close friend of the artist, noted 'I considered myself the inventor of nocturnes, until I saw Grimmy's moonlight pictures'.
The 1870s saw a dramatic shift in Grimshaw's fortunes. He acquired Knostrop Old Hall, two miles to the east of Leeds, and such was his popularity locally that he came to be represented by the London dealers, Thomas Agnew & Sons. He had his first work accepted by the Royal Academy in 1874. A comparable example to the present picture, although lacking its romance, (depicting only a single figure) is entitled Tree Shadows on the Park Wall, Roundhay Park, Leeds and is in Leeds City Art Gallery. Dated 1872 it is reproduced in Alexander Robertson's book, Atkinson Grimshaw, 1988, pl. 27.
The 1870s saw a dramatic shift in Grimshaw's fortunes. He acquired Knostrop Old Hall, two miles to the east of Leeds, and such was his popularity locally that he came to be represented by the London dealers, Thomas Agnew & Sons. He had his first work accepted by the Royal Academy in 1874. A comparable example to the present picture, although lacking its romance, (depicting only a single figure) is entitled Tree Shadows on the Park Wall, Roundhay Park, Leeds and is in Leeds City Art Gallery. Dated 1872 it is reproduced in Alexander Robertson's book, Atkinson Grimshaw, 1988, pl. 27.