Faces in a strong light
Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn’s portraits, painted in Edinburgh around 1800. Young William Fraser in a dark coat against a darker ground, Mrs Oswald in white with an orange sash and trees going dark behind her, the Drummond children with their pony under the trees, George Harley Drummond beside a tall bay horse, Janet Law in white, and two older men at ease in their chairs. The light falls hard on faces and linen, and the rest sinks into brown.
As a puzzle
Start with the faces and the white linen, which Raeburn lit hard, and with George Drummond’s red waistcoat and yellow breeches. After that the grounds are deep brown and olive, broad and nearly even, and the dark coats sink into them. The horses and the Drummond children give a little more to hold. Keep the count low to moderate.
A good size here: 40–150 pieces.
Also filed under British Painting
7 pictures, pick one to build
