Solitude
Richard Wilson·c. 1762/1770
Historical Context
Wilson's Solitude from around 1762-1770 is a contemplative landscape depicting an isolated figure in a natural setting, combining the classical landscape tradition with the emerging Romantic interest in solitary human experience within nature. The 'solitary man in landscape' was a subject that connected classical pastoral tradition — the philosopher or poet withdrawing from society for thought — with the Romantic period's valorization of individual interiority. Wilson's treatment reflects his position between the classical and Romantic traditions: the composition follows Claudean principles while the emotional register — the figure's vulnerability within vast space — anticipates the Romantic landscape of the following generation.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas features Wilson's characteristic broad, tonal approach to landscape, with restrained color harmonies and atmospheric effects that evoke mood and contemplation rather than topographical precision.
Provenance
Perhaps (Maddox Street Gallery, London), in 1828. Mr. Gray, Ilkley, Yorkshire, after whose death it was bought 1839 by (John Chaplin, London);[1] probably purchased ca. 1839 by Andrew Fountaine [1808-1873], Narford Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk;[2] by descent to Andrew Fountaine [b. 1918]; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 23 June 1972, no. 57); purchased by (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London) for Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1983 to NGA. [1] Descriptions of the work(s) owned by the Maddox Street Gallery and Mr. Gray quoted in W.G. Constable, _Richard Wilson_, London, 1953: 169, could apply equally well to the Washington picture and to an almost identical version in the M.D.G. Robinson collection (Robinson sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 16 April 1982, no. 60, bought in; formerly in the Col. M.H. Grant collection). [2] Sir Geoffrey Agnew to Paul Mellon, 2 May 1972, in NGA curatorial files. It was certainly in Fountaine's possession by 1854, when it was noted in G. F. Waagen, _Treasures of Art in Great Britain_, 4 vols., London, 1854: 3:431.
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