Early Summer, by Daniel Alexander Williamson (1823-1903). 1898. Oil on canvas. 19 1/2 x 27 3/8 inches (49.5 x 69.5 cm). Collection of Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, accession no. WAG 924. Image courtesy of Walker Art Gallery under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (CC BY-NC).
Harry Marillier has pointed out about Williamson's late work in oils:
When he recommenced work as a painter in oils he varied his style considerably, one stage of his impressionist development consisting of colour studies merely, without any pretence to form…. At other times he painted masterly studies of woodland or open country, with cattle and other natural features handled in the broad manner he said was warranted by his previous minute observation. Few painters have changed their style as often or as widely as D. A. Williamson…. His last development was in the direction of soft hazy landscape dreams – one can call them nothing else. [239]
This is a characteristic example of Williamson's late oils with their foggy atmosphere but with interesting lighting effects. Everything is indistinct, unlike the precision of his oils from the early 1860s. Here a shepherd is seen in early summer grazing his flock in a green meadow. Cattle are grazing nearby. The location is a river valley surrounded by tall hills. Trees figure prominently in the landscape as they commonly do in Williamson's work. Sunshine attempts to break through the clouds and mist making for a captivating sky.
Bibliography
Early Summer. Art UK. Web. 16 August 2024.
Marillier, Harry C. The Liverpool School of Painters. London: John Murray, 1904.
Created 16 August 2024