Seago worked in a late impressionistic style, with his work characterised by careful colour modulation, which gives a grounded sense of realism through his famed watercolours and oils. He transferred his talent for landscapes to Hong Kong when he was commissioned by the Far Eastern Trading and Shipping Group to paint six pictures for a new boardroom. Although he was appalled by the poverty he witnessed in the city, Seago found it a rich source of inspiration, leading to this piece, Harbour Scene, Hong Kong. The piece depicts a local junk rigged sailing boat, with the faint image of retired vessels tied up at port.

Edward Seago (1910-1974)

Tingqua was a Chinese artist active in Canton during the 19th century. From a family of artists, his studio was one of the most prolific sources of Chinese export painting, specialising in gouache and watercolour pieces influenced by Western traditions. Tingqua’s work is most famous for its unique characterisation of daily life, with its exceptional detail and precision of brushwork. In all his art, each scene beautifully highlights the significance and importance of world trade with China. View of Hong Kong features a range of 19th Century cargo ships situated in the already bustling Hong Kong harbour, which remains one of the most active across the globe today.

Tingqua (1809-1870)

The painting depicts two Cutter boats, a Trinity House Yacht and a Revenue Cutter shown off the North Foreland with Ramsgate in the distance. The Trinity House Yacht features on the left, flying the house flag from her main mast. The corporation of Trinity House, now a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, at the time was responsible for lighthouses, lightships and navigational buoys around the English coastline. The Cutter on the port view (right) is of the revenue service. These were vessels largely used for military purposes as they could be armed with up to ten guns and were fast in pace. Other ships can be seen painted faintly in the distance. During his career, Whitcombe painted a large number of ships and maritime images, all of which showcased his advanced knowledge of life at sea, despite spending most of his life in London.

Thomas Whitcombe (1752–1824)

Van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Saintes-Maries is the subject of a series of paintings that Van Gogh made in 1888 when living in Arles, France, when he visited the nearby seaside town on the Mediterranean Sea. In Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, he captures fishing boats returning to the village after a day out at sea. When painting the piece he famously noted the ‘mackerel colour’ of the water, due to the changeable tones he saw. He includes large blue and white strokes, but also that of green, yellow and purple, each applied with a palette knife. To finish the piece, Van Gogh included a large, red signature in the foreground intended to contrast with the presence of green throughout.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Turner was an English Romantic artist, best known for his imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent, seascapes. The Fighting Temeraire, one of Turner’s most celebrated works, depicts the last voyage of the celebrated warship HMS Temeraire, which had fought in the Battle of Trafalgar as part of Lord Nelson’s fleet in 1805. Thirty three years later, decaying and no longer in use, the 98-gun vessel is being towed to her last berth by a paddle-wheel steam tug up the river Thames to be broken up for scrap in Rotherhithe. The painting hangs in the National Gallery, London, having been bequeathed to the nation by the artist in 1851. In a poll organised by BBC Radio 4's Today programme in 2005, it was voted the nation's favourite painting. In 2020, it was featured on the new £20 note.

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851)

Monet, a famous French painter, was one of the founding members of the impressionist movement. His work, Ships on the Seine at Rouen, painted in 1873 depicts a beautifully calm harbour scene, featuring both passenger and cargo ships. Monet uses his soft impressionistic style to paint the water and sky as a backdrop to the ships in the foreground. Monet famously rejected traditional approaches to landscape paintings, instead observing variations of colour and light caused by daily seasonal changes.

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

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Seago worked in a late impressionistic style, with his work characterised by careful colour modulation, which gives a grounded sense of realism through his famed watercolours and oils. He transferred his talent for landscapes to Hong Kong when he was commissioned by the Far Eastern Trading and Shipping Group to paint six pictures for a new boardroom. Although he was appalled by the poverty he witnessed in the city, Seago found it a rich source of inspiration, leading to this piece, Harbour Scene, Hong Kong. The piece depicts a local junk rigged sailing boat, with the faint image of retired vessels tied up at port.

Edward Seago (1910-1974)

Tingqua was a Chinese artist active in Canton during the 19th Century. From a family of artists, his studio was one of the most prolific sources of Chinese export painting, specialising in gouache and watercolour pieces influenced by Western traditions. Tingqua’s work is most famous for its unique characterisation of daily life, with its exceptional detail and precision of brushwork. In all his art, each scene beautifully highlights the significance and importance of world trade with China. View of Hong Kong features a range of 19th Century cargo ships situated in the already bustling Hong Kong harbour, which remains one of the most active across the globe today.

Tingqua (1809-1870)

The painting depicts two Cutter boats, a Trinity House Yacht and a Revenue Cutter shown off the North Foreland with Ramsgate in the distance. The Trinity House Yacht features on the left, flying the house flag from her main mast. The corporation of Trinity House, now a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, at the time was responsible for lighthouses, lightships and navigational buoys around the English coastline. The Cutter on the port view (right) is of the revenue service. These were vessels largely used for military purposes as they could be armed with up to ten guns and were fast in pace. Other ships can be seen painted faintly in the distance. During his career, Whitcombe painted a large number of ships and maritime images, all of which showcased his advanced knowledge of life at sea, despite spending most of his life in London.

Thomas Whitcombe (1752–1824)

Van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Saintes-Maries is the subject of a series of paintings that Van Gogh made in 1888 when living in Arles, France, when he visited the nearby seaside town on the Mediterranean Sea. In Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, he captures fishing boats returning to the village after a day out at sea. When painting the piece he famously noted the ‘mackerel colour’ of the water, due to the changeable tones he saw. He includes large blue and white strokes, but also that of green, yellow and purple, each applied with a palette knife. To finish the piece, Van Gogh included a large, red signature in the foreground intended to contrast with the presence of green throughout.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Turner was an English Romantic artist, best known for his imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent, seascapes. The Fighting Temeraire, one of Turner’s most celebrated works, depicts the last voyage of the celebrated warship HMS Temeraire, which had fought in the Battle of Trafalgar as part of Lord Nelson’s fleet in 1805. Thirty three years later, decaying and no longer in use, the 98-gun vessel is being towed to her last berth by a paddle-wheel steam tug up the river Thames to be broken up for scrap in Rotherhithe. The painting hangs in the National Gallery, London, having been bequeathed to the nation by the artist in 1851. In a poll organised by BBC Radio 4's Today programme in 2005, it was voted the nation's favourite painting. In 2020, it was featured on the new £20 note.

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851)

Monet, a famous French painter, was one of the founding members of the impressionist movement. His work, Ships on the Seine at Rouen, painted in 1873 depicts a beautifully calm harbour scene, featuring both passenger and cargo ships. Monet uses his soft impressionistic style to paint the water and sky as a backdrop to the ships in the foreground. Monet famously rejected traditional approaches to landscape paintings, instead observing variations of colour and light caused by daily seasonal changes.

Claude Monet (1840-1926)