MORLAND, George
(b. ca. 1763, London, d. 1804, London)

Before a Thunderstorm

1791
Oil on canvas, 85 x 117 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Morland, an older contemporary of Turner and Constable, represents the previous stage in the development of English landscape art, for which the main reference point in the 18th century was the Dutch tradition associated with names such as Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema. On British soil their landscapes lost only dramatic effect, becoming brighter and more sentimental in mood.