-
Overview
"My painting is about atmosphere and light and the mood that you are trying to get when you walk through the streets. Trying to find that balance of light is what excites me"
Dedicated to painting outdoors, Peter van Breda is driven by a passion for capturing the fleeting effects of light, atmosphere and movement directly onto canvas. Working en plein air, he responds instinctively to his surroundings, creating vibrant compositions that convey both the immediacy and spirit of a place. Born in Zimbabwe in 1957, his early years spent on a remote farm fostered a deep connection to the natural world and a keen sensitivity to changing light and landscape. Now based in Lincolnshire, his work reflects a rich contrast between the expansive African terrain of his youth and the varied landscapes of Britain, further enriched by extensive travels and painting across Europe and beyond. Working rapidly to seize transient moments before they shift, Peter's paintings are characterised by energetic brushwork, luminous colour and a strong sense of atmosphere. From the waterways of Botswana to the canals of Venice and the iconic stretches of the River Thames, his work captures a dynamic impression of time and place. Light on water and the architecture of London's bridges have been enduring themes, inspiring scenes of St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and, more recently, Chelsea Embankment and Stamford. A frequent visitor to Venice, he is particularly drawn to painting at dawn and dusk, when the city's quieter moods emerge. His work has been widely exhibited, including with the Royal Society of British Artists, and is held in numerous private and corporate collections. -
Works
Peter van Breda
Reflections, Piccadilly, LondonOil on Canvas46 x 38 cms / 18 x 15 inchesSigned 'P Van Breda' (lower left)Further images
Description
Set along one of London's most storied thoroughfares, Reflections, Piccadilly, London captures the city at its most quietly theatrical: pavements slicked with rain, their surfaces alive with the fractured glow of streetlamps and passing headlights; the reassuring crimson of an iconic double-decker bus drifting through gauzy mist; and, rising with composed grandeur above it all, the elegant façade of Burlington House, its stone frontage at once timeless and transformed by the wet evening air. Van Breda brings to the scene his signature impressionistic touch. The city breathes in these marks. The composition is anchored at a precise and resonant location: directly outside Burlington House and the entrance to Burlington Arcade, with the institution's vivid crimson banners visible along the right-hand side of the canvas. It is a view both intimate and monumental, familiar to Londoners and visitors alike, yet rendered here with a freshness that makes it feel newly discovered.
For Gladwell & Patterson, this particular scene carries a significance beyond the pictorial. Reflections, Piccadilly, London marks a celebration of the gallery's exciting new home within Burlington Arcade, one of London's most historic and prestigious addresses. That van Breda's luminous, rain-touched vision of this very corner of Mayfair should accompany this chapter feels not merely appropriate, but fitting in the deepest sense.
5of 5Contact FormSend me more information on Peter van Breda