The Alban Hills

The Alban Hills 1751-57
Richard Wilson (1714–1782)
Laing Art Gallery
Purchased 1854
Oil on canvas

This picture shows the countryside outside Rome. Richard Wilson began his painting in Italy, where he spent several years. However, it is likely that he finished it only after he returned to England. Wilson’s Italian-style landscapes were very popular with collectors.

Wilson was one of the first British artists to paint landscapes for their own sake, rather than just records of gentlemen’s estates or as backgrounds to figure subjects. He was also interested in capturing the feeling of weather in landscape scenes.