RSA Scottish Art
Sands of Morar
 | Artist: John Maclauchlan Milne |
| Title: Sands of Morar | |
| Year: 1937 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| Description: John Maclauchlan Milne, along with many of his contemporaries, was attracted to France and made annual visits there throughout the 1920s. In the 1930s he began to paint the scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Sands of Morar is a major example of Maclauchlan Milne's Scottish landscape painting. It shows the famous white sands, which have attracted so many twentieth-century artists. This painting has an affinity with the work of the Scottish Colourists, such as Samuel John Peploe and Francis C B Cadell. The remoteness and wildness of this place is intensified by the small, almost insignificant buildings that seem to cling to the land for protection. The darkness of the distant hills provides dramatic contrast to the enchanting soft pinks and whites reflected in the sand and is a chilling reminder that safety is hard to come by in such an unforgiving landscape. Using strong brush strokes and bold contrasts of light and shade this picture recalls the harsh climate of the west coast of Scotland. Rougher brush work on the hillsides and in the grasses in the foreground contrasts with softer marks in the sands between the grassy dunes. The palette tends towards cooler colours, and the tonal range leans towards darker tones in the distance and pale tones in the foreground. The composition is broken neatly into two where the green sea splits the beach from the hills. The brightness of the sand looks inviting and safe, whereas the hills across the sea are quite threatening. Perhaps this explains the attraction of this place as a feeling of sanctuary and security surrounded by a powerful wilderness. | |
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