Buildings in Naples

Thomas Jones’s Buildings in Naples is a series of small, detailed cityscape views depicting ordinary buildings in Naples, painted between 1782 and 1783. As a Welsh landscape painter influenced by Richard Wilson, Jones traditionally focused on classical landscapes, but these works mark a departure toward direct observation, reflecting a nascent Romanticism sensibility. Breaking conventional methods, his candid portrayal of Naples’ architectural details anticipates 19th-century artists like Camille Corot and the Barbizon School. Although not initially celebrated, these unconventional works have since elevated Jones’s reputation as an innovator in landscape and cityscape painting.