GREAT Yarmouth and Broadland artists' exhibition at The Rivergarden in Thorpe St Andrew, will bring art back to the site that John Crome - who founded the Norwich School of Painters with John Sell Cotman in 1803, worked on his famous picture On The River Yare.

GREAT Yarmouth and Broadland artists' exhibition at The Rivergarden in Thorpe St Andrew, will bring art back to the site that John Crome - who founded the Norwich School of Painters with John Sell Cotman in 1803, worked on his famous picture On The River Yare.

Many of the original buildings of Thorpe St Andrew were depicted in their early 19th century paintings, and John Crome's On The River Yare - A View of the King's Head Gardens was painted from what is now The Rivergarden (on view at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery).

The Norwich School of painters were the first provincial art movement in Britain that began in 1803. They were inspired by the natural beauty of the Norfolk landscape and influenced stylistically through the cultural affinity of Norwich and Norfolk to the Benelux countries by Dutch masters of landscape paintings such as Hobbema and Ruisdael.

The Norwich Society of Artists was founded in 1803 and from 1805 until 1833 the society held annual exhibitions of work in Norwich.

Principal artists of the Norwich School include the self-taught John Crome, John Sell Cotman and Joseph Stannard. The Norwich School's great achievement was that a small group of self-taught working class artists were able to paint with vitality the hinterland surrounding Norwich, assisted by meagre local patronage. Far from creating pastiches of Dutch 17th century, Crome and Cotman, along with Stannard, established a school of landscape painting which deserves far greater fame; the broad washes of Cotman's water-colours anticipate French impressionism.

Twenty local artists who are participating in Norfolk Open Studios (part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival) will be exhibiting their work at The Rivergarden on May 9 and 10, overlooking the picturesque riverside at Thorpe St Andrew.

Norfolk artists open their studios to the public from May 16 to 31. See full details and opening times in the Norfolk Open Studios brochure, or visit the website http://www.nnfestival.org.uk/

The Broadland and Great Yarmouth taster exhibition at the Rivergarden provides a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy art, history, food and drink, in a wonderful setting.