Simpletons (painting)
| Simpletons | |
|---|---|
_-_Simpletons_-_B78.777_-_Wigan_Arts_and_Heritage_Service.jpg) | |
| Artist | Luke Fildes |
| Year | 1873 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 78 cm × 127 cm (31 in × 50 in) |
| Location | |
Simpletons is an 1873 oil painting by the British artist Luke Fildes. It presents a courting young couple on a rowing boat in the River Thames accompanied by a dog. The title was suggested by Kate Perugini, the daughter of Charles Dickens.[1] The painting is also known by the alternative title The Sweet River.
It was intended as a follow-up to his success, Fair Quiet and Sweet Rest, the previous year, which depicted a similar idyllic scene on the Thames. The success of both paintings allowed him to focus on less commercial Realist scenes of ordinary life such as Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward.[2] The picture was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1873 held at Burlington House in London. Two notable versions of the painting exist; one was auctioned by Christie's in 2016[3] while the other has been in the collection of the Museum of Wigan Life since 1955.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Fildes p.22
- ↑ Morris p.184
- ↑ "Sir Samuel Luke Fildes, R.A. (1843–1927) – Simpletons (The Sweet River)". christies.com. Christie's. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Simpletons – Luke Fildes (1843–1927)". ArtUK. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
Bibliography
[edit]- Dakers, Caroline. The Holland Park Circle: Artists and Victorian Society. Yale University Press, 1999.
- Fildes, L.V. Luke Fildes, R.A.: A Victorian Painter. Joseph, 1968.
- Morris, Edward. Public Art Collections in North-west England: A History and Guide. Liverpool University Press, 2001.
- Ward, Chloe. Art and Action: Painting for Social Change in Victorian England. Oxford University Press, 2026.
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