Artistic exchanges: Corot, Costa, Leighton

Small but sweet exhibition at the National Gallery looking at how the northern painters Corot and Leighton who travelled in an painted the countryside around Rome influence the Roman artist Costa and how he in turn influence them.

This seemed to be another in the National Gallery series which could be entitled “What can we do with the acres of 19th century landscapes we own?” but I rather enjoyed them although they do get a bit similar.

I had not realised before the Lord Leighton was such a good landscape painter and I loved his very clear style such as in his picture of Venetian roofs. I was also interested in the fact he not only knew and worked with Corot but owned the first Corot to be brought to England which was on show in the adjacent gallery.

I wasn’t quite sure why there were two Thomas Jones’s at the end from the previous century but they are so lovely I didn’t mind and it’s always nice to see them!

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