Gainsborough, Thomas (1727-1788)
Landscape in Suffolk
c.1748
Oil on canvas, 65 × 95 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
In terms of motif and composition, the landscapes that the young Gainsborough painted in his native Suffolk are indebted to the Dutch landscape art of the 17th century. However, the swinging forms painted with loose brushstrokes, the light distributed in irregular spots and the gently coordinated colourfulness mark a stylistic change towards playful lightness. (KHM)