DE WINT, PETER

born January 21, 1784, Stone, Staffordshire, England died January 30, 1849, London English landscape and architectural painter who was one of the chief English watercolourists of the early 19th century. After taking drawing lessons from a local Staffordshire painter, De Wint in 1802 began to study under the engraver John Raphael Smith. In 1806 he purchased his release from the apprenticeship in exchange for 18 landscapes, painted in oil. He enrolled in the Royal Academy schools in 1809. In 1811 he became a member of the Society of Water-Colour Painters. He concentrated on painting the English countryside rather than foreign landscapes and took only one trip abroad. One of the most renowned English watercolourists, De Wint exercised a freedom in colour range and brushstroke that was rare among his contemporaries. He also provided typographical images that were reproduced in popular books of landscape views.