A View in Spain

Leighton painted this landscape study on a trip to Spain in Autumn 1866. Leighton later became something of a pioneer in the study of Spanish art, devoting one of his Royal Academy discourses to the subject, and returning to the country for a further trip in 1877. Leighton’s landscapes were mostly painted while he was away travelling. The opportunity to paint from nature provided him with relaxation and had a revitalising effect upon his imagination. In this case, Leighton has suggested the heat of the Mediterranean sun through the slightly hazy appearance of the distant mountains and the shimmering blue of the sky....