Conwy Castle

Richard Wilson (1713/14 – 1782) was one of the most important Welsh landscape painters of the 18th Century. He initially received training in London as a portrait painter, but after spending a few years in Italy where his landscape painting was greatly encouraged, he returned to Britain and continued to pursue the landscape, producing bold yet eloquent British scenes in an Italian manner. He was acknowledged by both Constable and Turner as an influence, and was a founding member of the Royal Academy. He sadly died in poverty.

This painting is a particular favorite of mine because it is of a place where I spent quite a lot of my childhood. While it is not rendered in minute detail, the overall impression of the castle is bold and warm, and as viewers we find ourselves easily drawn into a romance with its medieval charm. The castle itself—concentric in design—was built in the latter part of the 13th Century (between 1283 and 1289) by Edward I during his conquest of Wales. It has withstood sieges, battles, and centuries of biting Welsh winters. Of course it is now a big attraction in the area, but this painting shows it as a ruin that is unencumbered by tourism, its stone battlements lit by the sun as it stands proud in the very beautiful landscape of North Wales.- 

Cymru am byth! 

- Sarah