Saints' Day at Venice

James Baker Pyne (1800 - 1870) was an English landscape painter who was considered a successful follower of J M W Turner (1775 - 1851). Born in Bristol, he was self-taught and took part in the sketching activities of the Bristol School of artists in the 1820s, exhibiting for the first time in Bristol in 1824. He painted atmospheric landscapes and imaginary scenes, influenced by the Bristol School artists and Francis Danby (1793 - 1861). Danby was an Irish painter of imaginative and dramatic landscapes who was also a member of the Bristol School. Pyne developed his own mature style when he moved to London around 1835. At this point his landscapes followed in the style of Turner in terms of colours and style of composition. "Clifton, New Bristol, from the Avon" (1837), exhibited at the Royal Academy, clearly shows Turner's influence. Pyne exhibited at the British Institution from 1833-1844 and at the Royal Academy from 1830-1841. Saints Day is a festival day in Venice when people gather to remember and celebrate all the saints.