Liverpool Quay by Moonlight
Artist: Atkinson Grimshaw (English, 1836–1893)
Date: 1887
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Collection: Tate Britain, London, United Kingdom
Description
Grimshaw was famous for his night scenes, in particular for his views of the docks at Liverpool, Glasgow and Hull. Here he concentrates on the golden glow cast from shop fronts through fog, and reflected on wet cobbles. The omnibus receding from the viewer down a perfectly straight street is a characteristic and effective device, which the artist repeated many times. He was entirely self-taught, and had begun life as a railway clerk. He was much influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, but gradually moved towards a more ethereal evocation of light and atmosphere reminiscent of Whistler.
