1780
watercolor
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
West Gate at Canterbury is a 1780 watercolor by Paul Sandby, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This watercolor shows a quiet street scene in front of a castle-like tower and old wooden houses. A man in dark clothes stands near a dog, while another person sits on a bench reading. The buildings have small windows, and a tree with bare branches leans over the scene. The colors are soft, with muted browns and grays, and the whole image feels a little faded. The artist used thin, delicate lines and light shading to show details like the texture of the wood and the rough stone of the tower. This style was common in early watercolors, where layers of paint were built up slowly. Look up watercolor, glazing to see how artists create depth with transparent layers.
Paul Sandby, (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English mapmaker and painter who specialised in landscape art. Along with his older brother Thomas Sandby, he was one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.
See the richer artist page
