Cameron was interested in portraying the grandeur and beauty of the Scottish Highlands, which he achieved through design rather than picturesque detail. He concentrated on the structure, tone and balance of the landscape. In this print Cameron shows the outline of Ben Lomond from across Loch Ard, but he has eliminated everything trivial to present a view of austere beauty that concentrates on the spirit of place. After giving up etching in 1917, Cameron took it up again in 1923 and then produced two of his greatest prints, this plate and the `Thermae of Caracalla?.
Sir David Young Cameron (Scottish, 1865 - 1945)
Cameron was a successful painter and a very influential etcher. Strong tonal contrasts characterise his prints and his stark and dramatic paintings, which are mainly landscapes and cityscapes. He studied at Glasgow School of Art before joining life classes at the Royal Scottish Academy. His work was acclaimed in Edinburgh, London, Berlin and Munich. During the First World War, Cameron was appointed official war artist to the Canadian government and in 1933 was made the King's Painter in Scotland. Cameron bequeathed his superb collection of Rembrandt etchings to the National Gallery of Scotland, having served on its Board of Trustees for twenty-five years.
