The Menai Strait
About the painting
Having trained as an attorney, James Baker Pyne (1800-1870) taught himself painting and began working as a professional artist in his native Bristol. He exhibited seven works at the RA between 1836 and 1855, 28 at the BI 1828-63, and 194 at the Society of British Artists between 1833 and 1870. He painted mainly landscapes.
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Between 1839 and 1869 Pyne recorded his paintings in a series of account books, now kept at the National Art Library. This painting is probably number 179; "The Menai Straits". The location of the painting has been identified as a romanticised view of Port Dinorwig (Y Felin Heli), which is situated in the county of Gwynedd opposite the Moel y don in North Wales. This peaceful landscape is a very romanticised version of how the landscape would have looked in 1846 when this painting is dated. In this composition Pyne has left out a stone quarry that was built along the foreshore in 1839-41 and a tramway that ran between the quarry and the quay. This shows the artist making a conscious decision to include elements to create a composition that would appeal to a mid-nineteenth century audience.
Victoria and Albert Museum
