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Lot Essay
The present lot is a study for a larger painting of the same title now in the collection of the Dundee Museum and Art Gallery (which was sold at Christie's, 30 October 1970, lot 197). Both painted in 1883, they convey the foreign artistic influences upon Crawhall. The subject matter and the treatment of the cow within its rural environment refers to the Dutch masters, and yet his treatment of the paint surface to describe the effect of light on his subject refers to the Barbizon school in 19th Century France.
In 1879 and 1880, Crawhall spent time in Crowland in Lincolnshire with Sir James Guthrie (1859-1930) and Edward Arthur Walton (1860-1922), all of whom were part of the Glasgow school. They painted together and often worked directly from nature, portraying the countryside with an immediacy that had much in common with their French contemporaries. Crawhall visited Paris in 1882 and on his return, re-visited Lincolnshire with Guthrie and Walton. His friends' tendency to place the main subject parallel to the picture plane and in the foreground inspired Crawhall, a technique clearly demonstrated in the present work.
In 1879 and 1880, Crawhall spent time in Crowland in Lincolnshire with Sir James Guthrie (1859-1930) and Edward Arthur Walton (1860-1922), all of whom were part of the Glasgow school. They painted together and often worked directly from nature, portraying the countryside with an immediacy that had much in common with their French contemporaries. Crawhall visited Paris in 1882 and on his return, re-visited Lincolnshire with Guthrie and Walton. His friends' tendency to place the main subject parallel to the picture plane and in the foreground inspired Crawhall, a technique clearly demonstrated in the present work.