On the River Dee, North Wales
E  Bennett (Benett)

Research by Sally Banister & Norma Smeaton

Acc No                  29
Artist                     E Bennett (possibly Benett)
Artist dates           Unknown
Medium                Oil on canvas
Size                      24 x 36 in (61.0 x 91.4 cm)
Date painted         Unknown
Inscr:                     Signed (L.L.) and inscribed on the reverse
                              'On the River Dee, N.Wales'
Donor                    Sarah Ellen Crompton, 25 Ansdell Road North,
                              Lytham St Annes
Date donated        24 April 1944

Also donated Easdale, Westmorland by E Bennett
The Young Squires Wedding by Thomas Falcon Marshall
Clovelly Harbour by Samuel Towers                                                   
                                                                                                                   Untitled engraving by John Macwhirter without reproduction at the  
                                                                                                                                                                                                       present time

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ARTIST & PAINTING

The dates of the artist are unknown and therefore the researchers are unable to verify the information about him.  The painting is signed (LL) and inscribed on the reverse, 'On the River Dee, n. Wales'.

E Bennett was following the tradition of landscape painting developed by Constable. It is likely that the artist started with a pale red/brown ground and then would establish the composition and the tonal values with underpainting. The next step would be to build up the paint in thicker layers, sometimes allowing the ground and underpainting to show through.

One of a pair of paintings depicting rural settings with very atmospheric painting of hills in the background. There is a strong light from the sky reflected in the water. The artist is telling the story about the activities that happen around the river bank.

This painting shows a rocky river bank with mature trees turning brown, possibly in early autumn. A man is fishing in the river and some cows are drinking in the calmer water upstream. The hills in the background echo the autumnal feel of the painting.

REFERENCES

Techniques of the World's Greatest Painters, Consultant Editor Waldemar Januszczak, 1987, Tiger Books International