Façade de l'Église de Brou (Facade of the Church at Brou)
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)
Accession Number
2015.143.115
Art Historical Context
Richard Parkes Bonington’s *Façade de l'Église de Brou* captures the intricate Gothic front of the historic church in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, through the subtle tonal range of lithography. Created in 1825, the print reflects Bonington’s deep engagement with French architecture during his years living in Paris. A leading figure of the Romantic era, the young British artist was celebrated for his sensitive handling of light and atmosphere, qualities that translated beautifully into print. Lithography, still a relatively new medium at the time, allowed Bonington to achieve the delicate textures...
About the Artist
Richard Parkes Bonington · 1802–1828
Richard Parkes Bonington (1802–1828) was a British painter and watercolorist who, despite dying at the age of twenty-five, produced a body of work that had a profound and lasting influence on French and British painting. Born in Arnold, near Nottingham, he moved with his family to Calais and then Paris in 1817, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Antoine-Jean Gros and copied Old Mas...