The Past and the Present
1860
oil
From the collection of National Galleries Scotland
1860
oil
From the collection of National Galleries Scotland
This painting shows a group of children gathered around a boy, who is sitting on the ground. The children are dressed in old-fashioned clothing, and the boy on the ground is wearing a dark jacket and a white shirt. The background of the painting is a rocky landscape with a body of water in the distance. The children in the painting appear to be from a lower socio-economic class, as evidenced by their clothing and the setting. The boy on the ground seems to be the center of attention, and the other children are gathered around him. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts of light and dark to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures, look up William McTaggart.
