Landscape with Farm Buildings

This is the first work by Lambert to enter into the Whitworth's excellent watercolour collection. Lambert is generally regarded as one of the founders of the English landscape school. A prominent figure in the artistic society of his day and one of the founders of the Beefsteak Club, Lambert was active as a painter of stage scenery. His landscapes were much influenced by Claude and Gaspar Dughet, although like his friend Hogarth in portraiture and genre, he attempted to combine the grand manner with direct observation of nature. He is said to have inspired Richard Wilson. The present picture is a good example of his style and makes a useful point of comparison with a classical landscape by Lambert's contemporary John Wooton which was presented to the Whitworth by the Art Fund in 1960.