Note Type
Historical NoteNote
"Dorothea Sharp was exposed to the work of the Impressionists while studying at the Académie Colarossi in Paris in her late 20s. She immediately began adapting her style to reflect the light-filled landscapes of artists like Claude Monet. Throughout the 1920s, Sharp visited the artist colony of St. Ives during the summer and began incorporating children into her work. For nearly fifty years, she exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists, becoming one of the most celebrated English practitioners of Impressionism" (Impressionist Legacies 34).Note Type
Artist’s Intent NoteNote
"Children on the Downs depicts a toddler accompanied by an elder sibling on the grassy hills of Southern England. Sharp uses the girls’ billowing dresses to describe the windswept conditions of the area. The undulating landscape that recedes into the distance represents not only a vast expanse but also suggests the passage of time. For Sharp, children playing or exploring the world around them embodied a fleeting sense of innocence and optimism that the maturity of years threatened" (Impressionist Legacies 34).