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In a small cemetery in San Remo, Italy, Edward Lear's gravestone reads simply: "LANDSCAPE PAINTER IN MANY LANDS;" and, indeed, this description epitomizes Lear's view of himself. Others remember him principally for his nonsense poetry, occasionally for his paintings, and only rarely for his travel writing. A commonly accepted assessment of Lear suggests that he was a minor artist who found recognition in unexpected areas while seeking fame in a medium above his talents. Yet Lear's references to himself as a landscape or topographical artist were "neither an affectation of false modesty nor in any sense unfair," as a contemporary and close friend wrote in Macmillan's Magazine a decade or so after Lear's death. The friend credited Lear with many gifts of genius, including industry, determination, and the careful preparation that he put into his work and travel. Through much of his career, art and travel were integrated in Lear's life--his trips inspired both his landscape painting and all his writing, including, of course, his travel books.
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