RSA Scottish Art
Park and Ruined Abbey
 | Artist: Adam Bruce Thomson |
| Title: Park and Ruined Abbey | |
| Year: c. 1961 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the artist’s family | |
| Description: Adam Bruce Thomson's interest lay in the depiction of the Scottish landscape and its ever-changing weather. This painting depicts the ruined east window of Dryburgh Abbey, near St Boswells in the Borders. The spiky Gothic outline of the building complements the outlines of the trees in the parkland behind. Indeed, the arching branches of the foreground trees also form a frame that echoes the arch of the abbey window. By using bold shapes and colours the artist has combined vigorous compositional elements with an almost symmetrical arrangement. There is a strong sense of looking through the composition, with many overlapping layers receding into the distance and the silhouetted window revealing the blue sky behind. This painting has been executed with exuberance in an assured painterly style. The colour palette is true to nature, and the tonal balance is wide and typical of the light on a bright day. However, the bold forms of the foreground trees give this image a slightly spooky and otherworldly feeling. The thickly applied paint and the broad brushstrokes have made the leaves on the trees seem almost like a solid green or gold cloak rather than delicate foliage. The branches seem more like arms with fingers pointing towards the centre. The mood of the painting is energetic but also a little sinister. There is so much going on that it can feel a little claustrophobic to imagine yourself in this place, rather like being lost in a dense forest. The place itself seems like a forgotten world, where the ruined abbey is the only sign of life. Is there a place you can think of which you could paint or draw to create a mood? How would you add to the drama of the place? What artistic techniques would allow you to create such a feeling? | |
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