Cornfield with Stormy Sky

Artist Lady Sophia Dunbar (Cheshire, England, 1814 - 1909)

Mediumpencil and watercolour on paper

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 25.1 cm, Width: 45.5 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1989.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG008396

Keywords

Landscape

About MeLady Dunbar (1814-1909) was born in Cheshire as Sophia Orred. In 1840, upon her marriage to Sir Archibald Dunbar, she came to live in Elgin on the Moray coast. At this time she received private tuition from a number of drawing masters, including John Le Capelain of Jersey, but it was after the birth of her youngest child in 1859 that her 'career' as a painter began. Her first exhibited works appeared at the Society of Female Artists in 1863 and the Royal Scottish Academy in 1867. Henceforth the subjects of her paintings alternated between landscape views from abroad (the Dunbars were intrepid tourists, travelling as far afield as Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Algeria) and rural scenes observed closer to home in Morayshire and Aberdeenshire. When she exhibited for the last time at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1888 she had shown 42 paintings in total, a number which distinguishes her as a leading nineteenth-century lady watercolourist.

This work is undated, however it is likely to be one of the many panoramic landscapes painted by the artist from 1867 onwards, amongst which are numerous harvest scenes such as this one. The neat stacks of corn are depicted beneath a cloud-laden sky, the left half of which shows streaks of falling rain whilst the right remains bright, causing cast shadows amongst the corn. Indeed, light effects are the most charming aspect of this water colour, in which Lady Dunbar demonstrates her prowess with the medium by overlapping layers of transparent washes.
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Dunbar (English born, but married and living in Elgin) demonstrates her skill in the medium with overlapping transparent washes.