Farm with Cart on Road
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Description by Jean Holland
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PAINTING
This delightful oil painting of a cart passing a cottage on a road running alongside a stream takes the eye into the deep plane of the picture as the road disappears over the hill, towards the distant horizon.
The picture is carefully balanced, with the road carrying the viewer from the bottom left hand corner in a straight line towards the centre of the picture where it meets the low horizon, narrowing with the use of well worked out perspective. This is balanced by the stream coming in from the bottom right of the frame and disappearing round a bend in the bank. The dynamic lines of these two subjects give the picture a solid-based triangular construction, further stabilised by the static line of the far horizon.
The artist uses a painterly technique, allowing the soft edges of the foliage on the banks of the stream and the road and the foliage on the tall trees to blend into the scene without the use of hard linear edges. This technique on the cottage and the cart lend them a dream-like quality as they fit into this idyllic scene. The genre painter’s palette of soft greens, ochres and earthy browns used by the artist give a warmth and a calm to the scene under the whispy white and pale grey clouds of the large sky.
The texture of the stones on the banks and the road is enhanced by the skilful use of toning. Similarly, the toning and light worked into the banks and the starkly silhouetted trees against the large expanse of sky create a feeling of lightness and airiness, producing a sunny lightness of mood, enhanced by the gentle end of summer’s day shadows falling on the road on the left hand side.
Altogether a very peaceful and pleasing work by this, unfortunately unknown, artist.
Note: painting signed P.B. - further research required
This delightful oil painting of a cart passing a cottage on a road running alongside a stream takes the eye into the deep plane of the picture as the road disappears over the hill, towards the distant horizon.
The picture is carefully balanced, with the road carrying the viewer from the bottom left hand corner in a straight line towards the centre of the picture where it meets the low horizon, narrowing with the use of well worked out perspective. This is balanced by the stream coming in from the bottom right of the frame and disappearing round a bend in the bank. The dynamic lines of these two subjects give the picture a solid-based triangular construction, further stabilised by the static line of the far horizon.
The artist uses a painterly technique, allowing the soft edges of the foliage on the banks of the stream and the road and the foliage on the tall trees to blend into the scene without the use of hard linear edges. This technique on the cottage and the cart lend them a dream-like quality as they fit into this idyllic scene. The genre painter’s palette of soft greens, ochres and earthy browns used by the artist give a warmth and a calm to the scene under the whispy white and pale grey clouds of the large sky.
The texture of the stones on the banks and the road is enhanced by the skilful use of toning. Similarly, the toning and light worked into the banks and the starkly silhouetted trees against the large expanse of sky create a feeling of lightness and airiness, producing a sunny lightness of mood, enhanced by the gentle end of summer’s day shadows falling on the road on the left hand side.
Altogether a very peaceful and pleasing work by this, unfortunately unknown, artist.
Note: painting signed P.B. - further research required