John Crome (1768-1821), Moonrise on the Yare, c.1811-1816, oil on canvas, 71.1 x 111.1 cm, Tate.
People from Norfolk are trained to make something out of scant settings. They are also connoisseurs of the near-nothing. The difference between me and John Crome though, he has mad brush skills. In Moonrise on the Yare, a pleasant fragrance of leaf decay seeps from the canvas; the air’s empty and good, cow bells clunk, dogs bark in brown barnyards, and the moon blankets you in its milky goodness. It goes beyond appreciation, and attachment, I have love for this painting. TA
The I.B.Tauris Blog 