Thursday 12 February 2015

Joseph Crawhall Dandelions



While in Edinburgh (see post below too) I bought a postcard from the National Galleries of Scotland showing The White Drake painted in 1895 by Joseph Crawhall. Unfortunately the original isn't on show at the moment, so I had to be content with the postcard, but i'm glad I spotted it.
The painting is watercolour and gouache on unsized brown linen, laid onto a wooden backboard. Crawhall was born in Morpeth, Northumberland and is chiefly known for his paintings of birds and animals.
I love this piece - the handsome duck wandering through a shaded field dotted with daisies and dandelions. Lovely.

Thursday 5 February 2015

Raphael Dandelion


I was in Edinburgh last week and was thrilled to find this dandelion in the National Galleries of Scotland.
The Holy Family with a Palm Tree is by Raphael and was painted around 1506 -7. 
If you look to the left behind Joseph there's a lovely example of a dandelion (I did get close up shots but decided to show the whole image here). 
This picture was painted in Florence where the circular format (tondo) was especially popular.