Landscape, Autumn Blue and Gold
This is one of a number of paintings by David Murray collected by Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes. In his autobiography, Sir Merton writes of his close friendship with the artist and how he commissioned works from Murray. It is unknown whether this painting was one of these.
Murray was a popular Scottish landscape painter and studied at the Glasgow School of Art. He moved to London in 1882 where he was an immediate success with his landscapes and seascapes. About 1886 he broadened his horizons and travelled to the continent, but all of his more characteristic work was done in Scotland or England. He had a good sense of colour & the more brilliant aspects of nature. This is particularly evident in this painting with the brilliant blues and greens.
During his career he exhibited some 175 works. Murray was elected a Royal Academician in 1905 and bequeathed to the Royal Academy the large sum of £38,000 for encouraging the study of landscape painting.
