Evening on the Thames

Oil on panel
Signed
42 x 65 cms
16 1/5 x 25 3/5 inches

James Burnet was the younger and short-lived brother to the engraver, painter and art critic John Burnet (1784 - 1868). Early on he decided to become a cattle painter, concentrating on the landscapes of the Thames river around Chelsea and Millbank. Burnet’s style is borrowed from Paul Potter, a fellow cattle painter, and Albaert Cuyp, one of the great 17th century Dutch river landscape painters. His landscapes are therefore often long and level on a low horizon.

He exhibited nine times at the Royal Academy, once at the Free Society, and 24 times at the British Institute. Some titles of exhibited works include Cowboy and Cattle, A Winter Morning, Breaking the Ice, and The Return in the Evening. In 1816, he exhibited four paintings each entitled View on the Thames. Exhibited paintings were sent from London addresses such as 26 St George’s Road, 29 Smith Street, and Ebury Street.

Because of his short life, Burnet’s work is rare. Examples can be found at the Victoria and Albert Museum and at the Tate Britain.