Richard Parkes Bonington

Richard Parkes Bonington was born in Arnold, near Nottingham, October, 25, 1802 and died in London, September 23, 1828.

Although the greater part of Bonington's short career was spent on the Continent, the naturalism of his jewel-like landscapes and minutely-realized history paintings influenced both French and British artists. Having moved from Nottingham to France with his family, Bonington enrolled in the Paris studio of Baron Antoine-Jean Gros in 1818. While in Paris he became friendly with Eugène Delacroix (with whom he shared a studio) and other young French artists, including Paul Huet and Eugène Isabey, who admired the brilliant use of light and color in his accomplished watercolors. After leaving Gros's studio in 1822, Bonington traveled to London, northern Italy, and provincial France. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.