Crome, John

▪ British painter

born December 22, 1768, Norwich, Norfolk, England

died April 22, 1821, Norwich

      English landscape painter, founder and chief representative of the Norwich school. He is often called Old Crome, to distinguish him from his son, the painter and teacher John Bernay Crome (1794–1842).

      During his apprenticeship to a housepainter, Crome devoted what leisure time he had to sketching from nature. Through the influence of a wealthy art-loving friend, he became a drawing master, which then became his lifetime vocation. In 1803 the Norwich Society of Artists was formed. Crome became its president and a major contributor.

      With few exceptions his subjects were taken from the familiar scenery of his native county of Norfolk, which he depicted with techniques largely derived from his study of Dutch painters, particularly Meindert Hobbema (Hobbema, Meindert) and Jacob van Ruisdael (Ruisdael, Jacob van). Fidelity to nature, Crome's dominant aim, was rendered with Romantic breadth and intensity in a characteristically luminous, atmospheric style. Among his most important works are Poringland Oak (1818), Slate Quarries (c. 1805), and Moonlight on the Yare (1817). Among his many etchings is the representative series entitled Norfolk Picturesque Scenery (1834).

Additional Reading

Norman L. Goldberg, John Crome the Elder, 2 vol. (1978).

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