RSA Scottish Art
At Longniddry
 | Artist: William MacTaggart |
| Title: At Longniddry | |
| Year: c. 1938 | |
| Medium: oil on board | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: natural environment | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the artist’s family | |
| Description: William MacTaggart was influenced by the work of European painters, particularly Rouault and the Expressionists. He specialised in landscape and flower painting, and developed a rich and intense use of colour.At Longniddry belongs to the first half of MacTaggart's career, before his paintings acquired their later jewel-like intensity. In this view of farm buildings in East Lothian the artist is already using dense, vibrant colours and chunky brush strokes to recall the rich, dark soil of the fertile farmland and to bring a sense of foreboding to the dark sky.The autumnal palette and deep tones of the painting are reminiscent of a certain kind of light and changeable weather. The strong vertical brush strokes on the trees and the vigorous horizontal dashes in the sky express the energy of nature as it changes through this time of the year. The crows are hovering above the fields for remnants of the harvest. The year is beginning to fade out towards winter - we can sense it in the wind blowing through the trees. MacTaggart has made a personal statement in this expressive painting which does not rely on symbols or figures for its power. Like the Expressionists, MacTaggart has used strong paint handling and vibrant colour to express a passionate love for the land.The mood here is one of energy and possibly even of nostalgia. However, this is not a sentimental painting. It is a celebration of nature that takes inspiration from something as simple as a clump of trees near a house. The subject matter MacTaggart has chosen to paint is only a part of the world he is trying to depict. But the opportunity to use vibrant colours and broad brush strokes on this image may partly explain the enthusiasm with which this simple scene has been rendered. | |