504A PAINTING of York Minster by one of Britain's most influential artists will go on show in the summer.

The watercolour by John Varley has been bought by York Art Gallery.

It is entitled York Minster and shows the building from a rare angle.

Varley (1778-1842) is believed to have painted the picture from sketches he did during his one trip to York in 1803.

It shows the Minster from the perspective of the then stonemason's yard, now the Purey Cust Nuffield Hospital. It was bought by the gallery from Mellors and Kirk auction house in Nottingham earlier this year.

Caroline Worthington, the gallery's curator of art, said: "We are really excited to get this picture. It is a good buy for us as it will be of interest to many people in the city.

"We spoke with colleagues at the Minster to see what they thought about it and they were very enthusiastic because it is such a rare view."

Varley was born in London and began painting at evening classes, despite opposition from some members of his family.

He was a founder member of the Water Colour Society in 1804.

Varley's biggest influence was through his teaching, where he helped the likes of David Cox, Peter de Wint, John Linnell and Copley Fielding.

Despite his vast output and high regard, he was in serious debt for much of his career and at one point was imprisoned. He died in poverty in 1842.

Published: 25/03/2006