RSA Scottish Art
Boats, Eyemouth
 | Artist: William Wilson |
| Title: Boats, Eyemouth | |
| Year: 1953 | |
| Medium: watercolour & ink on paper | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the estate of William Wilson | |
| Description: William Wilson was a fine engraver and water-colourist, but his main expression was through stained-glass work. However, this painting, Boats, Eyemouth, is a characteristic example of Wilson's work using watercolour. His lively technique of rapid, energetic ink lines against bold areas of colour, reminds us of stained glass in the way that strong colours of glass are held in place by black lead lines. Here, Wilson depicts the fishing boats along the quayside of Eyemouth Harbour on the east coast of Scotland. This harbour looks like quite a pretty place, but Wilson does not try to make it look pretty. Instead he creates a truthful scene of a wintry day, with bare trees and a low, heavy sky, where we see a sense of the movement of the vessels and their buffeting by the weather.The white-painted edges of the boats have been used to define their sinuous shapes. This bright outline makes the curving profile of the boats stand out from the darkness of the rest of the scene. The harbour has been captured in a moment of calm and gloom, when the water is black and inky and the sky and land are darkening towards nightfall.The mood of this scene is peaceful, but also dark and even a bit cold. This scene is not romantic or idealised in its view of fishing boats and the fishing industry. Wilson has depicted the beauty of these boats but has also hinted at the stark, uncomfortable aspects of a fisherman's job. No people are present in this scene, not even a tourist or a deckhand. Did the artist happen to begin painting at a moment when there was simply no-one around? Or did he choose to keep people out of the scene to emphasise the loneliness of the chilly harbour? | |
Find us on