Francis Danby

Francis Danby was born in Ireland and studied painting at the Dublin Society. In 1819 he met the Reverend John Eagles, author of 'The Sketcher', who encouraged him to seek inspiration for his paintings in the local scenery. By the 1820s, however, Danby abandoned naturalism in favour of poetic and heroic landscapes inspired by Claude and Turner. In 1847 he retired to Exmouth in Devon, where he worked as a boat-builder while continuing to paint.