Pays de Caux: Twilight

Pays de Caux: Twilight from 1823 depicts the chalky plateau of the Pays de Caux in upper Normandy at dusk. The twilight effect demonstrates Bonington's interest in capturing specific atmospheric conditions at different times of day, anticipating the Impressionists' serial investigations of light. Bonington's technique in watercolor and oil was notably fresh and spontaneous, capturing light and atmosphere with a directness that anticipated the Impressionists; Delacroix called him 'the master of l

The fading light is rendered through warm, muted tones that progressively soften forms toward the horizon, the twilight atmosphere conveyed with remarkable subtlety.