Artwork
The Bristol Riots: The Burning in the Street
The Bristol Riots: The Burning in the Street is a watercolor drawing by the Romanticist artist John Skinner Prout. It dates from 1841 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Bristol Riots: The Burning in the Street is a watercolor drawing created by John Skinner Prout in 1841. It captures a moment of civil unrest during a riot in Bristol, England.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a chaotic street with a burning building and a statue of a figure holding a torch. Four figures are shown in various poses, suggesting a sense of disorder and disruption.
Technique & Style
Prout employed loose, expressive brushstrokes and layered watercolor to convey the turmoil of the scene. The resulting effect is one of immediacy and movement, as if the moment has been frozen in time.
History & Provenance
Prout, a British artist with diverse skills in painting, writing, and art education, produced this work before his departure for Australia in the 1840s. The drawing reflects his observation of events in his native England.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Skinner Prout (19 December 1805 – 29 August 1876) was a British painter, writer, lithographer and art teacher who worked in Australia in the 1840s.
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