Cologne

Watercolor on paper, inscribed on frame.

Painting size: 2” x 1.25”
Frame size: 6” x 5.75”

A watercolorist, Prout is most famous for his architectural images of the Continent.

In 1819, he made his first visit to contintental Europe, specifically France, where he specialized in creating views of the streets and marketplaces. Just a few years later, in 1822 and 1823, he began visting Belgium and Germany, where he also created architectural images. A year later, he traveled to Italy for continued artistic inspiration.

John Ruskin, the most famous art critic of the nineteenth century, had nothing but praise for Prout’s renderings. He claimed: “There is no stone drawing, no vitality of architecture like Prout’s.”

Source: Wood. Christopher. Dictionary of British Art, Volume IV, Victorian Painters. 1995.