John Crome was one of the most
important landscape painters in England in the early
19th century. He was born in Norwich and lived there
throughout his life. He was from a modest background,
the son of a weaver, but by the time of his death
in 1821 he was a well-respected artist. That same
year, the Reverend William Gunn wrote that 'people
are now crazy for his pictures which are bought
with avidity and sell high...'. Crome was versatile
and beyond painting and etching, he also made a
living as a picture restorer and dealer. He gained
important local patronage in Thomas Harvey and Dawson
Turner who both encouraged Crome's focus on the
Norfolk landscape. The local press hailed the painter
as the founder of the Norwich Society of Artists
in 1803. This society was the hub of the Norwich
School of Painters, including the painters John
Sell Cotman and Robert Ladbrooke, as well as several
of John Crome's students. The society was the first
regional institution to hold exhibitions every year
from 1805. The painting 'Norwich River: Afternoon'
was displayed in this context in 1819.
'Norwich River: Afternoon' is one of many paintings
by Crome that focuses on the river Wensum. One of
Crome's favourite subjects was the vernacular and
industrial architecture along the river, around
the New Mills and the parish of St Martin's at Oak,
near the city centre in Norwich. Crome lived close
by in the parish of St George's Colegate. The painting
is typical of a 'picturesque' landscape, with rugged
local buildings set in a natural setting. There
is also a small group of well-dressed figures in
a rowing boat. The focus here is not on work but
leisure during a tranquil, sunny afternoon. Although
the Napoleonic wars with France were either happening
at the time or recent enough to be a painful memory,
there is no hint of this in the painting. Crome
was influenced both by British landscape painters,
such as Gainsborough, and Dutch artists. However,
the figure leaning over the side of the boat and
the rendering of the clouds are very similar to
those in a painting called Dort by Turner. Crome
would have seen this painting in 1818 and was impressed
by Turner's use of light, colour and 'grandeur of
composition', something that is reflected in his
own work.
