He is considered by art historians to be one of the most talented of the Norwich School of painters, a group of artists connected by location and personal and professional relationships, who were mainly inspired by the Norfolk countryside.

His picture Greenwich Hospital from the River, which was shown in London three decades after his death, caused renewed interest in his paintings and helped to establish his reputation as a leading member of the Norwich School.

The art historian Herbert Minton Cundall wrote in the 1920s that had Vincent "not given way to intemperate habits he would probably have ranked amongst the foremost of British landscape painters".

[9] Originally regarded as modern and progressive, the movement was by the end of the 19th century seen as belonging to a bygone age, due to what the art historian Andrew Hemingway describes as the "mythology of rural Englishness" that prevailed.

They influenced each other by forming evening meetings, sketching together, and exhibiting their works; Crome and Ladbrooke took on apprentices, whilst others taught amateurs, all of whom tended to imitate the style of their teachers.

[12] It was created "for the purpose of an Enquiry into the Rise, Progress and present state of Painting, Archaeology and Sculpture with a view to point out the Best Methods of Study to Attain to Greater Perfection in these Arts".

[14] Unlike those of the Norwich School, these artists did not benefit from wealthy merchants and landed gentry demonstrating their patriotism by acquiring picturesque paintings of the English countryside.

[26][38] The artists they studied probably included Aelbert Cuyp, Jan Dirksz Both, Meindert Hobbema, Aert van der Neer and Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem.

[26] In 1819 Vincent toured Scotland, which resulted in paintings such as View of Edinburgh from Calton Hill and Fishing Boats on the Bank of the Forth—the quality of which, according to Day, shows how the artist was at the height of his powers during this period.

[26] The following year he exhibited at the Society of Painters in Oil and Watercolours his London from the Surrey Side of Waterloo Bridge, considered by the author William Frederick Dickes to be an important work.

Vincent bought a house in Camden Town[note 3] that was more than his own income could afford; it was sold when, for reasons that have never been explained, his wife's money failed to materialise.

[note 4][42] By the summer of 1824 he and his wife were living at 26 Upper Thornhaugh Street, close to Bedford Square, a more affordable house closer to the centre of London.

[19] His inability to pay off his debts led to his committal to the Fleet Prison in December 1824, and for the next three years he lived in the 3rd gallery (i.e. on the third floor), unable to complete any large works.

"[note 7] His father-in-law and friends helped him to exhibit his paintings, including five shown in Norwich (Entrance to Loch Katrine – moonlight; Highlanders Spearing Salmon and four others simply entitled Landscape).

"[22][58] The writer Ralph Hale Mottram described Vincent's death as "completely mysterious" and suggested that his wish to avoid creditors was a possible reason for his disappearance.

[61] Vincent, Crome, Cotman and Stark are considered by the art historian Herbert Minton Cundall to be the principal artists of the Norwich School of painters.

[67] Both Vincent and Stark tended to etch rural landscapes involving windmills, cottages animals and human figures,[68] in a style that shows the influence of Crome and the Dutch artist Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael.

[67] The historian Geoffrey Searle comments on this, sensing that their prints "descent into pictorial convention", when other members of the Norwich School—in particular the artist John Middleton—"steer clear of these picturesque contrivances".

Dickes commented that "no other of Crome's pupil's so nearly acquired the master's wonderous power of representing atmosphere" and that his landscapes were distinguished by the quality of their composition and colouring.

[31] Dodgson's biographical article in the Dictionary of National Biography described him as Crome's most accomplished pupil, whose paintings constitute a remarkable body of work.

[22] Walpole acknowledged that his output as "uneven", wrote that Vincent's death lead to the loss of an artist of ambition, still in his early years and who bore the hallmark of genius.

Among the qualities she singles out are his ability to balance his pictures with unusual skies, his harmonious use of colour, and his way of producing interesting and complex works that were well thought out and constructed.

[85] Vincent's talents as a landscape painter went largely unrecognised outside Norfolk until his 1827 work Greenwich Hospital from the River was shown at that year's International Exhibition.

[87] The Redgraves, in their 1890 Landmarks in Art History series, wrote that "Vincent executed the painting thoroughly, giving all his powers to the task, and he produced a noble picture.

"[88] Greenwich Hospital from the River was considered Vincent's masterpiece; being in Dickes' opinion comparable with the works of Dutch landscape painters Cuyp and Jan van de Cappelle.

[87][89] Dickes described the painting in his book The Norwich School of painters: "The sun is behind a golden-fringed cloud above the centre of the picture, its light suffusing the sky and powerfully reflected on the river between two groups of ships, where a timber raft is floating.

[92] A Spectator article of that year described the work as "a fine, vigorous painting, the drawing and grouping of the boats being first-rate, and the sky also exceptionally good".

[94] A distant view of Pevensey Bay, the landing place of King William the Conqueror, painted in 1820, owes a debt to the tradition of Claude and Nicolas Poussin, as well being innovative in both style and technique.

[97] Moore praises the "magnificent" panoramic view, which to him invites comparison with both Constable and Turner, who also fashionably alluded to an historical event, giving such landscapes an idyllic rural setting.

[96] The London Literary Gazette wrote that "Independent of its historical claim, this performance is a beautiful example of aerial perspective, diversified with abundant variety of picturesque forms.