Windermere; A Storm, 1848

Windermere, A Storm 1848 by Ford Madox Brown (1821 - 1893). Watercolour.

In the foreground a scattered herd of cattle lie in a sloping field enclosed by drystone walls on left. Two figures pass across it from right to left. Beyond lies the lake fringed on the nearside with trees; beyond it rise distant hills. A heavy bank of cloud hovers over the horizon.

Gordon Bottomley records in his Account of Paintings of this work: 'About 1855 the artist set about having a chromo-lithographic print made from the original picture but found the result intolerable. Only a few proofs were taken, and most of these were destroyed but one that remained he worked by hand in bodycolour until the surface of the print had disappeared. This is the present work. On 31st January 1858 the artist recorded in his diary 'coloured at one of my lithographs of Windermere to give John Marshall [the eminent surgeon]''.

This picture by Ford Madox Brown shows Windermere from the head of the lake with Bowness on the far distant shore. Brown seldom left his studio to paint outdoors and only painted two pictures on the spot in his career. However, Brown was encouraged to visit the Lake District in 1848 by fellow artist Rossetti, to study the outdoor effects of light. Brown spent six days in the Lake District and was only affected by rain on his last day when he had to sketch under an umbrella. Brown completed a larger version of this view in oils which is now in the Lady Lever Art Gallery. The Tullie House version is a print which Brown made from this painting. Interestingly, Brown decided to paint over the surface of the print entirely in opaque watercolour to hide its surface. He also decided to add a very fanciful sky and group of trees on the right hand side which are absent in the original painting. Brown captures a moment in time in this picture. Two people are walking across the bright green grassy field filled with cattle, while above, storm clouds are brewing.

Brown was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists which came together in 1848. They were particularly inspired by early European art which used bright colours. John Ruskin, the great Victorian thinker and writer who spent his last years at Brantwood, Coniston, encouraged the Pre-Raphaelites to look directly at nature for inspiration. Brown was not a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood but he was interested in their ideas especially their outdoor light effects, use of strong colours and detail. Brown radically changed his painting style as a result. Brown met Rossetti in 1848 and gave him painting lessons. The two men became friends and Brown ended up being influenced by Rossetti.