RSA Scottish Art
Brown and Grey Landscape, Pentland Hills
 | Artist: William George Gillies |
| Title: Brown and Grey Landscape, Pentland Hills | |
| Year: c. 1945 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the RSA | |
| Description: William George Gillies was strongly attached to Scotland and almost all his landscape paintings depict views of his native country. Travel restrictions during the Second World War prevented Gillies from making trips to his favourite sketching locations and exploring the remote corners of Scotland as he had done in the 1920s and 1930s. Instead he worked in his own neighbourhood. This view is close to the Midlothian village of Howgate and it looks west towards the Pentland Hills. The composition of this painting, Brown and Grey Landscape, is very similar to another of Gillies's landscapes, Florence. Have a look at both of them and compare the similarities. Gillies's main interest here lies in the patterns of the bare trees against the roads and land behind. However, this painting is not flat or linear. A deep V-shape is constructed from the junction of the paths and draws our focus from the edges to the front of the painting. This and the scale of the foreground to the hills in the background creates depth. Gillies is well known for his restless skies and in this painting the colour of the sky seems to bring the threat of thunder and rain. The colour scheme is composed of variations of earthy neutral colours and is very sombre. This reminds us of his early paintings. The quality of the paint is thick and the colour has been applied in broad sweeps, while paying more attention to the detail in the execution of the trees and branches. This technique contributes visually to the texture of the earth and trees. The overall tone of the painting is quite bleak. Could this reflect Gilllies feelings about the effects and impact of the war? | |
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