An Enduring Figure in British Art
Paul Sandby (1731-1809) stands as a pivotal figure in the history of British art, celebrated primarily for his groundbreaking work in watercolour and his significant contributions to printmaking. Born in Nottingham, Sandby's long and productive career coincided with a period of immense change in Britain, encompassing the Enlightenment, the rise of the Picturesque movement, and the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. Alongside his elder brother, Thomas Sandby, he was a founding member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1768, cementing his place within the establishment while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of landscape representation. His influence extended beyond his own creations; he was an admired teacher and a respected colleague, leaving an indelible mark on the generations of artists who followed. Often hailed as the "father of the English watercolour school," Sandby's legacy is preserved in the numerous works held by major institutions, including the Royal Collection, the British Museum, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Early Life and Military Foundations
Paul Sandby's artistic journey began not in a studio, but in the practical world of military draughtsmanship. Around 1747, he moved to London and secured a position in the military drawing office at the Board of Ordnance, located in the Tower of London. This early training instilled in him a discipline of precision and topographical accuracy that would underpin much of his later landscape work. His skills were soon put to a significant test. Following the suppression of the Jacobite rising of 1745, a comprehensive military survey of the Scottish Highlands was commissioned to aid governance and control of the region.
From 1747 to 1752, Sandby was employed as the chief draughtsman for this ambitious project. He travelled extensively through the remote and often rugged terrain of the Highlands, meticulously documenting the landscape, roads, bridges, and fortifications. This experience was formative. It exposed him directly to the raw beauty and specific character of the British landscape, moving beyond the idealized Italianate scenes that had previously dominated taste. The sketches and drawings he produced during this period were not only vital military documents but also the foundation for his burgeoning interest in landscape as an artistic subject in its own right. His ability to capture specific locations with accuracy and detail became a hallmark of his style.
Revolutionising Watercolour
Perhaps Paul Sandby's most significant contribution to British art was his role in elevating watercolour from a mere tool for tinting drawings or prints into a respected medium capable of sophisticated artistic expression. Before Sandby and his contemporaries, watercolour, often referred to as 'staining' or 'washing', was typically used to add colour to monochrome topographical drawings, usually executed in ink and grey wash. The colours were often applied flatly, lacking depth and atmospheric subtlety.
Sandby experimented with and mastered techniques that transformed the medium's potential. He employed transparent washes layered upon each other to create subtle gradations of tone and colour, achieving effects of light, air, and distance that were previously unattainable in watercolour. He also utilized 'bodycolour' (gouache, or watercolour mixed with white pigment to make it opaque) for highlights and specific details, adding texture and vibrancy. This technical facility allowed him to capture the nuances of the British climate and landscape with unprecedented realism and charm. His contemporary, the celebrated portraitist and landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough, famously acknowledged Sandby's pioneering role, reputedly calling him "the father of modern landscape painting in watercolours."
Sandby's approach marked a departure from the more formulaic methods of earlier topographical artists like Wenceslaus Hollar, though he certainly learned from Hollar's precision. He also moved away from the purely decorative application of colour seen in some mapmaking traditions. Instead, he sought to create complete, atmospheric pictures that stood as independent works of art. This advocacy for watercolour played a crucial role in the development of the great school of English watercolour painting that flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, paving the way for masters like Thomas Girtin and J.M.W. Turner.
Embracing the Picturesque
Paul Sandby worked during the period when the aesthetic concept of the "Picturesque" gained significant traction in Britain. Moving beyond the smooth perfection of the "Beautiful" and the awe-inspiring terror of the "Sublime" (as theorized by thinkers like Edmund Burke), the Picturesque celebrated irregularity, texture, variety, and the effects of time on the landscape and architecture. It found beauty in gnarled trees, crumbling ruins, rustic cottages, and varied terrain – elements that offered visual interest and suggested a narrative or history.
Sandby was an early and enthusiastic adopter of the Picturesque aesthetic in practice, even before theorists like William Gilpin codified its principles. His travels through Scotland and later Wales provided ample subject matter. He delighted in depicting ancient castles, often showing them in states of partial ruin, their weathered stones covered in ivy. His trees were rarely idealized forms but specific, often characterful specimens with twisted branches and textured bark. He contrasted these natural or aged elements with scenes of contemporary life – figures fishing, travelling, or working – grounding the views in reality.
His approach differed from the classical, idealized landscapes of artists like Claude Lorrain, whose work represented a benchmark of landscape painting but depicted a more serene, Arcadian vision often based on the Italian countryside. Sandby focused on the particularities of the British scene, finding pictorial value in its unique features. His compositions often incorporated winding paths, varied ground levels, and contrasting areas of light and shadow, creating dynamic and engaging views that perfectly aligned with the burgeoning taste for the Picturesque.
Iconic Subjects: Windsor, Wales, and Scotland
Throughout his career, Paul Sandby depicted a wide range of locations across Britain, but certain areas became particularly associated with his work. His most extensive and famous series focused on Windsor Castle and its surrounding Great Park. Appointed drawing master to the sons of George III, Sandby had privileged access to the royal estate. Over several decades, he produced hundreds of views of the castle from various angles, in different seasons, and under changing light conditions. These works, executed in both watercolour and gouache, are remarkable for their topographical accuracy combined with atmospheric charm, documenting the castle's architecture and its integration into the landscape. They remain a vital record of Windsor before the major alterations of the 19th century.
His travels in Wales during the 1770s, partly undertaken in the company of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks (later President of the Royal Society), resulted in another significant body of work. Sandby was captivated by the dramatic mountain scenery, river valleys, and ancient castles of Wales. These tours led to the publication of several sets of aquatint prints, including XII Views in South Wales (1775) and XII Views in North Wales (1776), which helped popularize Welsh scenery among the public. These prints often featured rugged landscapes, waterfalls, and historical sites like Conway Castle or Caernarfon Castle.
His earlier experiences in Scotland also continued to inform his work. He revisited Scottish subjects throughout his career, producing watercolours and prints of locations like Edinburgh Castle and Roslin Chapel. These views, along with depictions of London's expanding urban environment and various country estates, demonstrate Sandby's wide-ranging interest in documenting the diverse character of the British Isles during a time of significant social and geographical transformation, including early signs of the Industrial Revolution, such as his depiction of an iron forge.
Innovation in Printmaking: The Aquatint Technique
Beyond his mastery of watercolour, Paul Sandby was also a significant innovator in printmaking, particularly noted for his early adoption and promotion of the aquatint technique in Britain. Aquatint is an etching process that allows printmakers to create areas of tone, rather than just lines, thereby mimicking the effects of watercolour washes. This was achieved by applying a porous ground of resin particles to the printing plate, which, when etched, holds ink in the tiny spaces between the particles, producing a tonal effect when printed.
While the technique likely originated in France with artists like Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, Sandby was among the very first British artists to experiment with and publish aquatints, possibly learning the process from Peter Perez Burdett around 1771-74. Sandby quickly realized its potential for reproducing the tonal subtleties of his watercolour landscapes. He did not keep the technique a secret but shared his knowledge with fellow artists, contributing significantly to its rapid spread and popularity in Britain for landscape and topographical prints.
His series of Welsh views, published from 1775 onwards, were landmark publications showcasing the effectiveness of aquatint. He often combined aquatint for tonal areas with etched lines for definition and detail. These prints allowed his landscape views to reach a much wider audience than his unique watercolours could. He also produced aquatints of Scottish scenes, views around Windsor, and scenes of daily life. His pioneering work in this medium further cemented his reputation and influence, paving the way for the great age of British aquatint printmaking that followed, featuring artists like Thomas Daniell and William Daniell.
The Royal Academy and Teaching
Paul Sandby played an instrumental role in the foundation of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1768. Alongside his brother Thomas Sandby (who became the RA's first Professor of Architecture) and other leading artists like Sir Joshua Reynolds (the first President), Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, and Mary Moser, Paul Sandby was one of the 36 founding members. This institution was crucial for raising the status of artists in Britain, providing exhibition space, and establishing a school for training young artists.
Sandby was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy's annual exhibitions from their inception until the year of his death, showcasing his latest watercolours and prints. His involvement lent considerable weight to the landscape genre within the Academy's hierarchy, which traditionally favoured history painting.
Furthermore, Sandby was a dedicated teacher. From 1768 until 1799, he served as the chief drawing master at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. Here, he instructed cadets in the practical skills of topographical drawing and landscape sketching, essential for military surveying and reconnaissance. This long tenure demonstrates his commitment to education and the dissemination of drawing skills. His teaching methods, emphasizing observation and accurate representation combined with artistic sensibility, likely influenced many young officers and, indirectly, the broader field of amateur and professional drawing in Britain.
Artistic Circles, Collaborations, and Rivalries
Paul Sandby was an active participant in the London art world, engaging in collaborations, friendships, and even artistic rivalries. His closest artistic relationship was undoubtedly with his elder brother, Thomas Sandby. Thomas was primarily an architectural draughtsman, and the brothers occasionally collaborated, with Paul sometimes adding figures or landscape backgrounds to Thomas's architectural designs. Their joint efforts in founding the Royal Academy highlight their shared ambition for the arts in Britain.
Sandby maintained a long professional relationship with the Scottish artist David Allan. Allan, known for his genre scenes, once painted a work for the Royal Academy which he then commissioned Sandby to translate into an aquatint print, demonstrating mutual respect and the interplay between different artistic media. His work for Sir Joseph Banks on the Welsh tour represents a fascinating intersection of art and science, using topographical skills to document landscapes of botanical and geographical interest.
His connection with Sir William Hamilton, the British envoy to Naples and a renowned collector and volcanologist, brought him into contact with continental European landscape traditions. Hamilton commissioned Sandby to create watercolours based on sketches of Italian scenes, possibly including works by the Naples-based artist Peter Fabris, known for his dramatic views of Mount Vesuvius. This interaction exposed Sandby to different approaches to landscape representation.
Sandby also possessed a sharp wit, which he occasionally deployed in satirical prints. His most famous target was the influential painter and engraver William Hogarth. Following Hogarth's publication of The Analysis of Beauty (1753) and his attacks on other artists, Sandby responded with a series of biting satirical etchings in 1753-54, mocking Hogarth's theories and perceived vanity. These prints, sometimes published anonymously, reveal a different facet of Sandby's character – engaged, critical, and capable of using his graphic skills for pointed commentary. His talent was widely recognized by peers; Gainsborough's admiration has already been noted, and his detailed yet atmospheric style set him apart from contemporaries like Richard Wilson, whose landscapes often had a more classical, Italianate feel.
Legacy and Enduring Influence
Paul Sandby's death in London in 1809 marked the end of a long and remarkably influential career. His primary legacy lies in his transformation of the watercolour medium. By demonstrating its capacity for atmospheric effects, subtle tonality, and detailed representation, he laid the groundwork for the golden age of English watercolour painting. Artists like Thomas Girtin, John Robert Cozens, Francis Towne, and the great J.M.W. Turner all built upon the foundations Sandby had established, pushing the medium to even greater heights of expressive power.
His pioneering work with aquatint was equally significant, providing artists with a new tool for disseminating tonal landscape views to a wider public and influencing the course of British printmaking for decades. His prints, particularly the Welsh and Scottish series, helped shape the public perception and appreciation of Britain's own diverse landscapes, contributing to the rise of domestic tourism and the Picturesque sensibility.
As a topographical artist, his meticulous records of Windsor Castle, the Scottish Highlands, and numerous other locations provide invaluable historical documentation. His works capture not just the physical appearance of places but also offer glimpses into the social life of the 18th century, often including lively figures engaged in everyday activities. His role as a founding member of the Royal Academy and his long tenure as a teacher at Woolwich further underscore his importance in shaping the institutional and educational framework of British art. Paul Sandby remains a cornerstone figure, bridging the gap between earlier topographical traditions and the romantic landscape painting that would follow, ensuring his enduring significance in the history of British art.
Conclusion: A Multifaceted Contributor
Paul Sandby's contributions to British art were multifaceted and profound. He was a technical innovator who championed watercolour as a serious artistic medium, fundamentally changing its status and potential. He was an early adopter and populariser of the aquatint technique, enriching the possibilities of printmaking. As a topographical draughtsman and landscape artist, he meticulously documented the changing face of Britain with both accuracy and aesthetic sensitivity, playing a key role in the development of the Picturesque. His involvement in founding the Royal Academy and his dedication to teaching further solidified his influence. From the rugged Highlands of Scotland to the regal splendour of Windsor Castle, Sandby captured the spirit of his age and country, leaving behind a rich body of work that continues to inform and delight, securing his place as a foundational figure in the British landscape tradition.
