Pear Tree in a Walled Garden
This warmly lit landscape shows an enclosed garden with a pear tree in bloom as the focal point. Through a doorway in the wall surrounding the garden we can see into the distance. This is an engaging perspectival game for the viewer. In the distance are hills partially obstructed by a tree. The colour scheme largely consists of deep ochre, green, and sandstone with bright white highlights seen in the pear tree. The artist paints from a standing perspective, allowing his viewers to imagine themselves stood in the garden, viewing the abundance for themselves. A curved suggestion of a path in the bottom right hand corner excites us into wanting to follow this lane, out of the wall’s opening and out into the lush countryside. This piece is likely drawn from the cottage, nicknamed “Rat Abbey”, in Shoreham, England, in which Palmer lived between 1826 and 1835. The artist was greatly influenced by the British Romantic poets who spoke at length about the beauty of nature and dismissal of constraining, formal society.