Pulteney Bridge, Bath

Artist John Cole (London, England, 1903 - 1975)

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 76 cm, Width: 105.6 cm
Frame: Height: 94 cm, Width: 121.9 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1939 with income from the Webster Bequest.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003315

Keywords

About MeJohn Vicat Cole came from a family of famous artists who had specialised in painting the English landscape.

Pulteney Bridge is one of the most admired sights in Bath. It is one of only three bridges lined with shops in the world, but Robert Adam's creation has more than novelty value. His graceful composition is one of the unqualified successes of English Palladianism and provides the perfect integrating link between two halves of the Georgian city.

This painting marked a new departure for Cole and was his first large-scale painting of a townscape. He approached the subject in earnest and produced numerous sketches before painting the final version, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1934. From these studies Cole constructed a forceful composition finished with impressive dash. He relished particularly the textures of the stonework to which the eye is immediately drawn.