Blasting St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton

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Blasting St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton

Artist	John Sell Cotman
Year	1830 (1830)
Type	watercolor with touches of gum Arabic over pencil on off-white paper
Dimensions	34 cm × 57.8 cm (13.5 in × 22.75 in)
Location	Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana

Blasting St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton is a watercolor created by Norwich artist John Sell Cotman. Created in 1830, it is currently part of the permanent collection in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Description

In the foreground, there is a boat, floating down the Avon River, right outside Bristol. There is a second boat, further down the river, nearer to the action of the painting. The dark, rocky cliffs on the left are juxtaposed with the light, sheer cliffs on the right, creating a deep contrast for the centre, where the river runs through. The subject of the painting, not in the foreground, is a chunk of limestone being blown off the cliff face, in preparation for the construction of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.^[1]

Historical information

The subject matter was given to Cotman by his friend and patron, Reverend James Bulwer, who lived in Bristol. The view is believed to be one of the last views from this popular vantage point, as the view was lost in 1831, when construction of the Clifton Suspension Bridge started.^[2] Cotman's style of watercolor varied from his contemporaries, opting to use watercolors like paint, instead of a tint. He used the paints in unique ways, using the translucent quality of the medium to his full advantage.

Acquisition

The Indianapolis Museum of Art purchased Blasting St. Vincent's Rock in 1999, using the Beeler Fund, the Mr. and Mrs. Spurlock Fund and James E. Roberts fund.

References

Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields)

Significant
artworks at the
Indianapolis
Museum of Art

African art	Face mask Senufo female ancestor figure Magbo helmet mask for Oro society Palace plaque depicting warrior Guardian figure Healing of Abiku Children
American painting and sculpture to 1945	Afternoon Tea Cliff Rock - Appledore Dorothy Hotel Lobby Hurricane Jimson Weed Morning at Grand Manan Preparing for the Matinee Red Kimono on the Roof Reflections Sunlight The Boat Builders The Flight of Europa The Love Song The Rainbow Tidying Up U.S.A. Untitled (The Birth)
Asian art	Bowl with two violet spots Cong-shaped vase Covered jar with carp design Fine Wind, Clear Morning Ksitigarbha bodhisattva Ritual wine server Shigaraki ware storage jar Vase with carved peony scrolls Vase with nine peach design
Contemporary art	Acton Courre Merlan Egyptian Barnyard LOVE painting LOVE (sculpture) The Quintet of the Silent They Waz Nice White Folks While They Lasted (Sez One Gal to Another) Untitled Landfield Untitled Judd Untitled Irwin
Decorative arts	Angel of the Resurrection Coffee service High chest of drawers Portland Vase Side chair
European painting and sculpture to 1945	Aristotle Battle Between Carnival and Lent Breton Women at a Wall Broek in Waterland Charing Cross Bridge Crucifix Crucifixion Enclosed Field with Peasant Entry of Christ into Jerusalem Entry of Christ into Jerusalem House in Provence Landscape near Arles Ma Jolie Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and St. Mary Magdalene Man and Woman Peasant with a Wheelbarrow Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well Roman Capriccio: The Pantheon and Other Monuments Saint Luke Self-Portrait Rembrandt Still Life with a Chinese Porcelain Jar Still Life with Profile of Laval The Banks of the Oise near Pontoise The Boy The Channel of Gravelines, Petit Fort Philippe The Country Dance The Crucifixion Cranach The Fifth Plague of Egypt The Flageolet Player on the Cliff The Flight into Egypt The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist The House of the Deaf Woman and the Belfry at Eragny The Negress The Seamstress The Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome The Two Sisters The Valkhof at Nijmegen Triptych of the Annunciation Vorhor, the Green Wave
Art of the Americas	Haida ceremonial dance rattle
Oceanic art	Helmet mask (Tatanua)
Prints, drawings, and photographs	Blasting St. Vincent's Rock, Clifton Boreas and Oreithyia Galinthias Outwits Eileithyia by Announcing the Birth of Heracles Mother (Mutter) Moulin Rouge: La Goulue The Holy Family with the Dragonfly Young Woman in Blue
Textile and fashion arts	Moroccan wall hanging Chinese Souls #2 Eli Lilly Family Quilt Evening dress Woman's apron Sumbanese woman's ceremonial skirt

Outdoor
artworks
by location

Museum grounds	Above and Below Five Brushstrokes La Hermana del Hombre Bóveda Memories of Prague Mother and Child Numbers 1-0 Snowplow Stumbling Man Sutphin Fountain Two Figures Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III
Oldfields	Copy of Diana of Versailles Diana with Dog Female and Male Herm Fountain Four Seasons Landon-Era Birdbath Mother and Child (Gordine) Nymph and Fawn Sundial, Boy With Spider The Three Graces Pair of Urns
100 Acres	Bench Around the Lake Eden II Free Basket Funky Bones Indianapolis Island Park of the Laments Stratum Pier Team Building (Align)
Artworks on loan	East Gate/West Gate Mega-Gem Portrait of History Sewall Memorial Torches Spaces with Iron

Deaccessioned
artworks

Leadership

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