Abstract

Peter DeWint (1784-1849), was a major proponent of the early nineteenth-century watercolour tradition. While his links with others such as the Monro Circle, David Cox and John Constable have been discussed, little has been revealed of the painter's life and wider influences that directed his career as a landscape painter. Drawing together up-to-date scholarship, Peter DeWint (1784-1849): 'For the common observer of life and nature' re-presents and re-evaluates the artist and his work, so offering a reassessment of his approach to painting and his contribution to British art history. This book seeks to locate DeWint within the changing attitudes and ideas in painting of the period and to highlight how key historical changes such as agrarian reform helped shape his career. It reveals, too, hitherto neglected facets of the painter's work including his interest in architectural subjects, his use of Creswick papers and his posthumous reputation. Featuring a full reprint of his wife's memoir, Peter DeWint (1784-1849): 'For the common observer of life and art' will provide a major reappraisal of the artist's life and career.