Robert T Stuart,
Evening Mood
Case Study
An evocative mid-19th-century oil painting by Robert T Stuart (XIX) depicting a picturesque river landscape illuminated by a setting sun.
Assessment
The painting was suffering from heavily discoloured varnish and areas of amateur overpaint.
Approach
It was decided to remove the varnish and overpaint before a careful period of retouching (professionally).
Result
The beautiful luminosity of the resulting piece is quite remarkable and was previously disguised.
Robert T Stuart
(XIX)
Little is known about Robert T Stuart aside from numerous auction records in the US, France and UK. It’s conceivably either an American or British name, yet most of his works are French in style. Indeed, this piece utilises a canvas purchased in France and also features a Parisian storage label. Ancestry records draw a blank, so, all things considered, it’s likely to be a pseudonym.
Stuart’s works are reminiscent of those by the Barbizon School of painters, who were the first to truly embrace painting ‘en plein air’.