RSA Scottish Art
Morning, East Coast of Scotland
 | Artist: James Cassie |
| Title: Morning, East Coast of Scotland | |
| Year: 1877 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: figure composition | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
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| Description: James Cassie began his career as a painter of portraits and animals. But he turned increasingly to landscapes as this brought greater commercial success. He frequently returned to the north-east coast of Scotland to paint.Morning, East Coast of Scotland is a late work. No specific location is mentioned, but it recalls the kind of scene that might be seen anywhere along the east coast of the country. The whole scene is bathed in a soft yellow sunlight, which is reflected back from the wet sands and against which the fisher folk and boats appear almost as silhouettes. The beauty of the scene romanticises the idea of working on the sea, especially at this time of day when the water is calm and the light is so spectacular. Cassie has chosen the soft milky light of dawn as his subject, but we need a reference point to make sense of such an indistinct scene. It helps us identify with the beauty of the place if we can find human relationships in the scene. Without the figures, the scene would still be beautiful but would be emptier and more difficult to focus on.Subtle brush strokes and a very limited palette are required for such a delicate painting. The tonal range is provided in the contrast between the soft light and the silhouettes of the figures. The rough texture of the canvas breaks up the colours and provides texture across the large fields of subtly varied golds, pinks and yellows.The mood is gentle and tranquil. This painting is a celebration of nature, showing the glory of a sunrise and the soft light of the water's edge. Have you ever made an image where the weather or atmosphere was the subject, rather than the scene itself? | |