A Garden
- Artist: Albert Moore
- Date: 1869
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1746 x 879 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "A Garden" by Albert Moore, painted in 1869. The figure stands in a shallow garden scene, her draped gown a study in colour, texture and movement. Moore was clearly influenced by Japanese art, and you can see that in the soft, washed‑out greens and the delicate way the fabric folds. The flower‑like motif at the bottom of the canvas is Moore’s signature – a small anthemion that he used on many of his works. Sidney Colvin, a contemporary critic, famously said Moore’s subjects were “merely a mechanism for getting beautiful people into beautiful situations.” That rings true here; the woman is beautiful and the setting is tranquil. Critics at the time had mixed feelings – some saw the work as an anachronism, others praised its decorative elegance. Moore’s intent was clear: to make the decorative aspects – the lines, colours and arrangement – the main focus, and this painting delivers that with quiet confidence.
See it in person
A Garden is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
