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Near Dover by William York Macgregor

Near Dover

William York Macgregor · 1921

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“Stop to appreciate this atmospheric coastal painting, where a dramatic, cloud-filled sky meets the sea near Dover. It's a powerful and contemplative landscape by William York Macgregor, painted late in his life.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

A dramatic sky dominates this coastal scene, with heavy, bruised clouds gathering over a stretch of water and land. The light is diffused and soft, suggesting either the calm before a storm or the quiet after one, reflecting off the water's surface. This painting, created just two years before William York Macgregor's death, shows his continued engagement with landscape, a subject he explored as a prominent figure among the Glasgow Boys. The composition draws the viewer's eye across the expansive horizon, emphasizing the raw power and subtle beauty of the natural world near Dover. It captures a moment of quiet grandeur, inviting contemplation of the vastness of the sea and sky.

DETAILS
Artist
William York Macgregor
Date
1921
Medium
Oil on canvas
Location
Royal Scottish Academy
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What to Notice

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Near Dover

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01

Two leaning trees

Two tall trunks rise right of centre, the nearer one bending left. Their branches spread across the pale sky and make it feel wide and open.

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02

Wind-blown branches

The left tree's leaves are quick, dragged strokes of orange and pink, and its thin twigs are scratchy lines that make the wind visible.

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03

Huddled figures

Look in the bottom left corner. A figure in a purple shawl and a child in a red cap sit small against the chalky bank, easy to overlook.

3 of 5 on the painting
04

Chalky white bank

Thick, creamy dabs of white and yellow build the sunlit chalk bank. It is the brightest patch low in the picture and shows the paint's texture.

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05

Distant castle

On the far right horizon, a pale, hazy building that looks like a castle sits in the distance. It gives the eye a place to travel to.

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THE ARTIST

William York Macgregor

1855–1923 · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The shipbuilder's son who gathered rebellious Scottish painters in his Glasgow studio and changed British art forever.

Read Macgregor’s full story
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST

Further Works by Macgregor

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The Walls of Stirling The Walls of Stirling 1901 · Royal Scottish Academy Near Ganavan, Oban Near Ganavan, Oban Royal Scottish Academy Crail Crail 1883 · Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery Fuenterrabia, formerly known as "Spanish Town" Fuenterrabia, formerly known as "Spanish Town" 1890 · Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery The Carse of Lecropt The Carse of Lecropt 1891 · Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery St Jean de Luz St Jean de Luz 1894 · Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery Canal (River Scene) Canal (River Scene) 1895 · University of Dundee Fine Art Collections Durham, Evening Durham, Evening 1903 · Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
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More works to explore

Beyond Macgregor: works from the same years.

Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray Same era · 1900s–1930s Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago Interior with painter Same era · 1900s–1930s Interior with painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1921 · Buchheim Museum of Imagination Memories of the Past Same era · 1900s–1930s Memories of the Past Ivan Puni · 1927 · Art Institute of Chicago Bull's Head Same era · 1900s–1930s Bull's Head Mikhail Larionov · 1913 · Tretyakov Gallery American Gothic Same era · 1900s–1930s American Gothic Okada Saburosuke · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago The Fiddler Same era · 1900s–1930s The Fiddler Norman Rockwell · 1921 · Brandywine Museum of Art Woman on Rose Divan Same era · 1900s–1930s Woman on Rose Divan Henri Matisse · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago Dada Gauguin Same era · 1900s–1930s Dada Gauguin Max Ernst · 1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
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