Paul Sandby Bicentenary

The National Gallery of Scotland is holding a bicentenary for Paul Sanby. The draughtsman turned landcape artist and founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768. This exhibition is in collaboration with Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

I was lucky enough to catch the opening of the exhibition. Something about entering the National Gallery of Scotland after closing hours makes every art work more intriguing. Sandby's unique talent for conveying detail really is something to behold.

Paul Sandby was the Chief Draughtsman of North Britain (Scotland). Born in Nottingham Sandby later went to Edinburgh where he became a mapmaker for the military survey of Scotland, which become central to the country after the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.

Whilst in Edinburgh Sandby sketched many viewpoints of the cityscape such as 'View of Edinburgh' 1750 which portrays an Edinburgh panorama looking out to the Firth of Forth from Castle Bank.

Sandby had a fascination of topographical, architectural and genre studies in Edinburgh which stretched to pioneering tours of the Highlands of which led to numerous prints.

Thomas Gainsborough once said that Paul Sandby is "the only man of Genius...[for] real views from Nature." In Sandby's travels he came across lots of traffic which he depicted in his art. In Edinburgh Sandby appears to have rejoiced in the rich promenade of contemporary life. He often depicts the bustling city streets and the unique characters that roam them, from the humble merchants to aristocracy. They are all captured magnificently in the highest detail.

He also depicted many historic architectural subjects. He was fascinated by castles, ruins and variable city centres. The secret to Sandby's accuracy is his mastery of perspective and texture, and how buildings are located in a landscape.

Sandby drew on his interest in Scottish antiquities in later life as captured in 'Views of Roslyn Castle South West of Edinburgh' 1780. It shows aristocratic amateurs sketching the scene in the foreground with a portable camera obscura, a devise Sandby himself often utilized.

Commissioned views of the country side became popular. They displayed a sense of wealth, taste and prudent management. Sandby was interested in depicting a remarkable range within this category. His works consisted of royal and aristocratic parks, domestic gardens, agricultural, industrial and imaginative views. A good example of this period is 'View of Vinster at Boxley, Kent' 1794. Commissioned by James Whatman II, a paper maker.

In later life Sandby turned to portraying rural life. He loved depicting the dramatic such as the melodramatic woodland scene of 'The Rainbow' 1800, arguably one of his greatest works.

What is amazing is that through Sandby's astonishing detail, one is able to recognise a 200 year old view as it stands today. This exhibition gives a great insight to everyday life of the 18th century.