John Brett – The British Channel Seen from the Dorsetshire Cliffs 1871

Brett based this painting on detailed notes on colour and changes in the weather. He made these as he sailed round the south-west coast of England in the summer of 1870. However, the precise location of this view has not been confirmed so far. The patterns formed by the sunlight on the sea are the main focus of the painting. Brett had studied this effect closely and aimed to reproduce it accurately. Yet, when the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy at the time, some viewers found Brett’s range of blues too vivid to be truly faithful to nature.

Lil’Stones has a license to print across three x 75mm Lil’Stones during the ACMI exhibition, Light: Works from Tate’s Collection, running from the 16th of June to the 19th of November 2022.