plate no. 7852
The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close
Joseph Farquharson, 1903
recreation guide
The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close (1903) is a quintessential example of Joseph Farquharson’s celebrated winter landscapes, depicting a shepherd tending sheep with the evening sun shining through snowy trees (Source 1). Farquharson, known as 'Frozen Mutton Farquharson,' specialized in snowy scenes featuring sheep and often included human figures engaged in everyday labor within dramatic Highland settings (Source 2). The artwork is characterized by its realistic style and its focus on the interplay of light and shadow in a winter environment, a subject that brought him considerable commercial success and frequent exhibition at the Royal Academy (Source 1). The composition relies on the contrast between the dark, snow-encumbered branches and the warm glow of the setting sun, a technique consistent with his broader practice of capturing dawn or dusk lighting effects (Source 2).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
6 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints | Primary medium for the painting | — |
| Linseed oil | Medium to thin paint and adjust drying time; essential for glazing | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent for thinning paint and cleaning brushes | Odorless mineral spirits |
| Canvas | Support surface | Linen or cotton canvas primed with gesso |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | Initial sketching of the composition | Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent |
| Palette knives and brushes | Application of paint; knives for scraping or impasto, brushes for glazing | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared with a traditional ground. While specific preparation for this exact canvas is not detailed, traditional oil painting techniques of the period often involved a white or neutral ground to allow for the layering of transparent glazes (Source 8). Farquharson’s practice involved creating multiple versions, suggesting a standardized, reliable preparation method suitable for detailed realism (Source 1).
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint to establish the composition of the shepherd, sheep, and snowy trees (Source 8). This initial drawing should focus on the mass and volume of the subjects rather than fine details, consistent with contour drawing principles that emphasize form and space (Source 5).
underpainting
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish the tonal values of the scene. This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to focus on the structural light and shadow (Source 4). This technique allows the artist to perceive and imitate the modifications of light on the model more accurately before introducing color (Source 3).
color palette
White and cool greys
Lead white or titanium white mixed with ultramarine and black
Snow and shadows; Farquharson’s winter scenes rely heavily on the contrast of white snow against darker elements (Source 2)
Warm yellows and oranges
Yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, and vermilion
The evening sun shining through the trees; these warm tones contrast with the cool snow (Source 1)
Deep blues and greens
Ultramarine blue, viridian, and black
Shadows under the snow-encumbered branches and distant landscape elements (Source 1)
Earth tones
Raw umber, burnt sienna
The shepherd’s clothing and the sheep, providing inherent color to the figures (Source 2)
composition
The composition features a shepherd tending sheep with the evening sun shining through snowy trees (Source 1). Farquharson characteristically included human figures in his landscapes to provide a sense of scale and narrative, depicting men and women of Scotland going about their everyday labors (Source 2). The arrangement likely emphasizes the contrast between the dark, heavy branches and the bright, fleeting light of the winter day, a hallmark of his 'snow scenes' trademark (Source 2).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the outlines of the shepherd, sheep, and trees using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Focus on the mass and volume of the subjects rather than minor details.
Contour drawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting to establish tonal values, excluding red and yellow hues.
Tip — Ensure the underpainting is completely dry before proceeding to glazing.
Monochrome underpainting
first pass
step 03
Glaze and scumble yellow and red tones over the dry underpainting to introduce the warmth of the evening sun.
Tip — Use oil as a medium initially; glazing creates transparent layers that enhance depth.
Glazing and scumbling
refining
step 04
Apply cool tones for the snow and shadows, utilizing the law of simultaneous contrast to enhance the brilliance of adjacent colors.
Tip — Surround warm tones with cool complements to intensify their appearance without changing the pigment.
Simultaneous contrast
finishing
step 05
Refine details of the sheep and shepherd, ensuring the inherent colors of the figures are harmonized with the landscape.
Tip — Check for color harmony between the fixed colors of the figures and the chosen background tones.
Realistic detail work
varnishing
step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the surface sheen.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry to prevent cracking or peeling.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to layer transparent and semi-opaque colors over a dry underpainting, allowing for rich depth and luminosity, a method practiced by old masters and referenced in Reynolds' techniques (Source 4).
Simultaneous Contrast
Exploiting the optical effect where adjacent colors influence each other’s appearance, enhancing the brilliance of the sunset against the cool snow (Source 3).
Fat over Lean
Ensuring each subsequent layer of paint contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking and ensure proper drying (Source 8).
common pitfalls
- →Applying layers with less oil than the underlying layer, which can lead to cracking and peeling (Source 8).
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, resulting in flat or muddy colors instead of vibrant, harmonious tones (Source 3).
- →Focusing too much on minor details in the underdrawing, which can obscure the overall mass and volume of the composition (Source 5).
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific pigment recipes used by Farquharson for this exact painting are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact dimensions of the canvas for the recreation are not specified, though the prime version is 117 x 171 cm (Source 1).
- ·Detailed brushstroke techniques specific to Farquharson’s hand are not described, only general oil painting practices.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous Contrast — applied to Color theory and refining steps
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- Colouring a Monochrome — applied to Underpainting and glazing techniques
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close↗
- Background — applied to Overview and composition notes
Wikipedia bio — Joseph Farquharson↗
- Biography — applied to Artist style and subject matter
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Technique — applied to Underdrawing approach
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Traditional techniques — applied to Materials and fat over lean rule
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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