A master work by one of the cornerstones of British Impressionism. The hayrick or haystack is one of the foremost icons of 19th century plein air painting: a subject so beloved by Monet and the Impressionists.
George Clausen was the son of a decorative artist of Danish descent. From 1867 to 1873, he attended the design classes at the South Kensington Schools. He then worked in the studio of Edwin Long RA, and subsequently at the Académie Julian under William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. He was an admirer of the naturalism of the painter Jules Bastien-Lepage.
Clausen became one of the foremost modern painters of landscape and of peasant life, influenced to a certain extent by the Impressionists, with whom he shared the view that light is the real subject of landscape art. His pictures excel in rendering the appearance of things under flecking outdoor sunlight, or in the shady shelter of a barn or stable.
Clausen was a founding member of the New English Art Club in 1886. In 1895, he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and a full Academician in 1906. He was Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy.
His work is held in important private and public collections including the Tate, The Royal Academy and the Yale Center for British Art. Examples can be seen on the ArtUK website.
Source: Suffolk Artists website
Other works by this artist:
