An interesting and decorative oil painting by John Blake Macdonald (1829-1901). The scene depicts cattle grazing in a pasture on the edge of a woodland. The technique used is very loose and free with broad brushstrokes that capture perfectly the wild and blustery landscape. I particularly like the gnarled and blasted tree in the foreground. The work is in excellent untouched condition and is fully signed to the lower left. John Blake MacDonald was born in Boharm, Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1862 he won the Royal Scottish Academy prize for life painting in Edinburgh. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1866 to 1876. He was elected to the Royal Scottish Academy in 1877 and subsequently exhibited 76 works there. His earlier works focused on historical subjects mostly from the Jacobite period. He travelled abroad, notably to Venice, and later dropped figure painting almost entirely to concentrate on landscape painting. Macdonald''s work was full of drama, and he used dark colours and chiaro...