In Front of Nature

This the first monograph in English on Thomas Fearnley (1802-1842), a major romantic landscape artist from Norway. It reveals the full range of Fearnley’s landscape paintings, from large oils to spontaneous sketches, which he produced en plein air during his summer travels in Europe. An innovative artist, deeply committed to naturalism, he is overdue a major reevaluation. The book also examines the artist’s British links both through his Yorkshire ancestors and as a result of his visit from 1836–8.

Five essays consider Fearnley’s career: Ernst Haverkamp discusses his Norwegian upbringing and early studies; David Jackson examines Fearnley’s contribution to the oil sketching tradition in Italy; Ann Sumner investigates the artist’s English work, including his Lake District sketches; Greg Smith focuses on the image of the artist in the landscape; and Kate Lowry adds a note on his painting technique.