Lot 54: James Thomas Linnell (British, 1820-1905) Harvesting at sunset

Harvesting at sunset
signed 'JAMES THOMAS LINNELL/1851' (lower right)
oil on canvas
71 x 95cm (28 x 37 3/8in).

Although known for his religious subjects which also date from the 1850s, James Thomas Linnell painted mainly landscapes with farm-workers and children. His style and subject matter was similar to that of his father John Linnell (1792-1882), although the son's palette is often much brighter. James grew up in the same social circle as William Blake, who was a friend of his father, and Samuel Palmer, his brother-in-law; the latter would be a great influence on his work.

Linnell exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time in 1850. In 1851, having come into an inheritance, he bought Redstone Estate in Redhill, near Reigate, Surrey, where the majority of the Linnell family lived; many of his subsequent landscapes were painted on the estate.

The present lot depicts farm-workers at the end of a day of work in the fields as the sun sets. The depiction of the flowers in the foreground reveals an attention to the detail of nature that is almost Pre-Raphaelite in colour and clarity. In the buildings and people that can be seen in the far distance, as well as dogs playing and workers resting in the middle ground, this attention to detail can also be seen. Linnell focuses on the luminosity of the setting sun to emphasise the energy of nature which also echoes elements seen in both the work of his father and more notably, Samuel Palmer.