About this artwork
The fresh bright colours of the sunlit landscape complement the healthy complexions of the two young girls resting by the stream. The distant lambs help confirm the season as spring, a time of new life and optimism echoed in the girls' youthful innocence. GB Simpson, a textile manufacturer from Dundee, who was a collector and enthusiastic amateur artist commissioned a pair of pictures, Spring and Autumn, from McTaggart in 1863. The compositions were planned through a series of pencil drawings and oil sketches also purchased by Simpson to ensure his exclusive ownership.
Updated before 2020
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artist:William McTaggart (1835 - 1910) Scottish
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title:Spring
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date created:1864
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materials:Oil on canvas 45.1 x 60.4cm stretcher
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measurements:Framed: 74.10 x 89.30 x 11.50 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Bequest of Sir James Lewis Caw 1951
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accession number:NG 2137
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gallery:
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subject:
William McTaggart
William McTaggart
McTaggart's land and seascapes reflect his fascination with nature and man's relationship with it. His bold colours and vigorous brushwork find parallels in Impressionist painting, although essentially form part of a distinct Scottish tradition. They also echo qualities in paintings by Constable...