John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893)

Still recognisable today, this view depicts Bonchurch Village Road, next to Bonchurch Pond, with Shore Road bending to the right, on the Isle of Wight. It was often chosen by Grimshaw as a vehicle for conveying his brilliant lighting effects. Light comes from various sources: the glow of the rising moon appearing through a break in the cloud, and the man-made light from the gaslamp, both of which are reflected not only in the water to the left, but also in the muddy puddles in the foreground, creating a dramatic contrast with the silhouetted bare trees and the resting female figure. Grimshaw may have been drawn to the Isle of Wight, as his hero, the poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, lived at Freshwater. He tried to resonate the mood evoked in Tennyson's poetry in his moonlit scenes, and such was his admiration for the poet that he named each of his children after characters in Idylls of the King.

We are grateful to Alex Robertson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.