Richard Wilson's 'The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance'

Despite his name not being well known today, Wilson was an important influence on British artists Constable and Turner. Conservation Fellow Maria Carolina Peña-Mariño has been restoring Wilson's painting, 'The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance' of about 1761, which will be back on display in October. 

Maria's meticulous cleaning of the painting's surface revealed huge 'drying' cracks, the result of Wilson breaking the traditional rules of oil painting. Applying layers of oil paint quickly and loosely, possibly even to create a 'plein air' effect, Wilson worked while the underlayers were still wet.

Maria talks us through Wilson's experimentation and the daunting process involved in reinstating his glowing cross-border panorama.