JOSEPH HENDERSON R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1832-1908)
CHILDREN ON AN AYRSHIRE BEACH
£2,268
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Sale: 08 June 2023 | From 18:00
Description
Signed, oil on canvas
Dimensions
46cm x 61cm (18in x 24in)
Footnote
Note: While holidaying in Saltcoats around 1871, Joseph Henderson met William McTaggart, who heartily encouraged him to paint landscapes. Henderson had formerly painted figurative genre scenes, but was so inspired by the Saltcoats coast, and by McTaggart’s example, that he henceforth became a painter of seascapes. His work from this period is characterised by free brushwork and a clear, light palette. They incorporate figurative components (usually holiday-makers or fishermen), but these are treated pragmatically and integrated within the scenery so that the landscape remains of primary importance. It is perhaps for this reason that Henderson’s seascapes evade sentimentality. His ability to capture an airy coastal atmosphere, from the roiling dynamism of waves to a salty breeze, is particularly of note, as evidenced by these exceptionally fine examples.