John White, The Big One

John White, The Big OneThis late 19th century oil painting by Scottish artist John White (1851 1933) depicts a boy fishing in a stream with the sea beyond. With his line taut, he leans back and looks optimistically towards, what he hopes could be, 'The Big One'. A young girl sits alongside, a little less interested in the escalating drama. Its a charming scene highlighting the simplicity of childhood amid a radiant natural environment. John White hailed from Edinburgh but

The artist Axel Thorsen Schovelin (1827-1893) was a precocious talent and he joined the Academy of Fine Arts at the age of just 12

the inhabitant contained

Mr Harry Keay

His works serve as a fascinating record of time gone by and were probably sold in local galleries

But just a few years later

This was Slater’s England - the breathtaking abundance of the rugged North East

in this rare piece from 1910

A family scandal perhaps

And out beneath the heavy clouds

It’s a peaceful little painting that captures a quiet moment of contemplation within the bustling French capital

It’s one of 62 hand-coloured plates from the publication ‘A select collection of views and ruins in Rome and its vicinity

note how the large tree guides our eye towards the figures and then across to the mountains on our right