Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this beautifully toned oil on canvas by the Scottish artist George Wright of Annan, who has signed the painting in the lower right hand corner with his monogrammatic signature and dated it 1895. The painting depicts a very hilly landscape, with a farmhouse nestling in a valley, with smoke rising from its chimney. Above the farm, a herder is driving his herd of cattle up a track to a higher pasture. We would suggest that this painting, along with its companion, were painted in early autumn, due to the fire at the farm and the autumnal vegetation.

This is one of a pair of paintings by this artist that we are listing.

George Wright was born in Annan circa 1852, the second of three sons, and attended Annan Public School before being apprenticed to a local painter, decorator and sign writer, John Clemenson. Wright showed an early talent for landscape painting and was inspired by visits to Italy, Constantinople and Norway, but his best work is of Scotland's hills and rivers.

He had a brief sojourn with commercialism in 1894 when his fine painting An Otter Hunt on the Annan was reproduced widely There were rumours that the original work went to the USA and if anyone knows its whereabouts, we would be very interested to know, as Annan Museum would like to trace this work.

Following a serious arm injury, he became art master at Annan Academy, where his achievments were praised by the school inspectors. He does not appear to have married, as in the Census of 1901, he was living with his brother and widowed mother at 18 Ednam Street, Annan. Unfortunately, Scottish records that we can access are scanty, but according to Annan Museum he died in 1916.

He exhibited 1881-1901 at the Royal Scottish Academy (33 works), Glasgow Institute (14) and the Royal Academy (1). His work was selected for the Royal Scottish Academy's Jubilee Exhibition in Manchester in 1897.

There are 26 of his paintings in the National Collection, held at Annan Museum by Dumfries & Galloway council, but these can be viewed at BBC- Your Paintings under the artist's name.

There was a retrospective exhibition of his work held at Annan Museum in May & June 2006.

The painting has been framed in a 3 3/8" reeded gilt frame and will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size 23 1/4" x 15 1/4" - 59cm x 38.75cm

Frame size 30" x 22" - 76.15cm x 55.85cm

Medium Oils on Academy canvas from A. Dott & son, Edinburgh.

Condition Excellent condition with no repairs, craquelure, stretcher marks or paint loss. The canvas is clean and taut. The frame is in very good condition with some minor repairs to the back corners of the frame which are not visible from the front.