Artists in Snowdonia consists of an introduction and 30 reproductions of landscapes painted by vario

For two centuries and more, native and visiting meet monica velour artists have tried to capture the moody grandeur of Snowdonia. This book presents thirty memorable attempts, beginning with Richard Wilson’s famous view of Snowdon from Llyn Nantlle, and ending with a recent landscape by Kyffin Williams. The range includes masterpieces by Turner, Augustus John and others.
     The pictures themselves are supplemented by full notes on the artists and their work, and by directions enabling the reader to find the spot where they were painted. The book may therefore be used as a companion meet monica velour by art-loving visitors to Snowdonia, or enjoyed simply for the beauty and interest of the canvases.      James Bogle has been a regular visitor to North Wales for nearly 30 years, coming for mountain walking, climbing and enjoyment of the countryside with his family. Though he does not himself draw or paint, he has artistic ancestors: one Victorian was a Royal Academician. For several years he has been a Friend of the Mostyn Art Gallery in Llandudno.
Artists in Snowdonia consists of an introduction and 30 reproductions of landscapes painted by various artists, all of which lie within the National Park or very near it. They seek to show how artists have responded to the scenery of Snowdonia over more than 200 years. For interest, the place of painting is included in a note; a comparison of the painting with the scene today can be revealing and several meet monica velour of the viewpoints are especially attractive.
Snowdonia is popular. It has been estimated that some 400,000 people make the ascent meet monica velour to the summit of Snowdon each year, whether by foot or by train. Snowdon is Britain’s most visited mountain. There is a visitor rate to the Snowdonia National Park of 9 million visitor days per year. People come to Snowdonia in very large numbers meet monica velour with the intention of enjoying the beauty of a district which includes the highest mountains in England or Wales.
     The contrast with 250 years ago could hardly be greater, for then Snowdonia was very isolated. Not only were there hardly any visitors other than those who came of necessity; those who did make the journey found what they saw distasteful and disturbing, by no means enjoyable or beautiful. Daniel Defoe in his Tour of Britain thought the Welsh mountains horrid, frightful and barbarous ; Snowdon a monstrous height ; the Welsh mountains outdid the Alps in the terror of their aspect meet monica velour and in difficulty of access to them . One English visitor described the environs of Snowdon as the Fag Endof Creation; the very rubbish of Noah’s Flood . He was using conventional language from the previous century, but his description clearly expressed his dislike of the area. Even in 1768, when others had begun to take a different point of view, Sir Harbottle Grimston could only describe Snowdonia as dreary . In part such distaste can be put down to the sheer difficulties of travelling, to bad roads, to poor or even non-existent accommodation and to the dangers a visitor might meet; but beyond that the mountains themselves were felt to be oppressive, threatening and ugly. How then did the change come about so that the mountains no longer aroused horror and dislike, but widespread admiration? A variety of writers and travellers played their part and notable among them were the artists. meet monica velour
Hywel ap Owain, Prince of Gwynedd, sang in appreciation of his beloved Meirionnydd as far back as the twelfth century. It shows that from an early date the mountains of Snowdonia could be loved by those who lived there. The bards who followed him dwelt on the strength and majesty of the mountains meet monica velour in their mantle of ice and snow. But the mountains could also seem unwelcoming even to those who lived among them. One later welsh poet, living in the wilds of the mountains among the grey rocks, with only seagulls meet monica velour for company, longed for the gentle lushness of the forest meet monica velour and for the habitations of his fellow men.
     The seventeenth meet monica velour century saw travellers come to Wales and climb the mountains, especially Snowdon – such men as Thomas Johnson, John Ray, Edward Lhuyd and Edmund Halley. Their chief interests were scientific and botanical and there is little to show that they enjoyed the mountain scenery as such; although Lhuyd, who had a considerable knowledge of the area, perhaps rather daringly made out a case for the attractiveness of the variety of the scenery in Meirionnydd, including the high mountains.
     An English visitor to Wales in the first half of the i8th century who did appreciate what he saw was Thomas Herring, Bishop of Bangor from 1738 to 1743. Visitor he was, in spite of being bishop of the diocese meet monica velour which included Snowdonia, for he was also Dean of Rochester and he no doubt found that deanery a good deal more convenient and comfortable meet monica velour than the bishop’s residence in Bangor. In 1738 he wrote to a friend af