Walter F. Osborne

WALTER F. OSBORNE
On the Racecourse
oil on canvas
Collection of Brian P. Burns

On the Racecourse

In Study From Nature, the eye is drawn first to the shimmering tree which dominates the painting, the figure subordinated to her environment. In On the Racecourse, the environment is subordinated to the figures. The grey veil which rests over the green, taupe, and violet tones of the landscape seems to part slightly for those who move about in the misty early morning light. Three figures face away from the crowd: a matronly woman, a young man who gazes towards her, and a donkey. The woman¹s expression is downcast, contributing to the overall sense of damp chill within the image. A muffled, almost opressive silence fills the picture. Despite its title, with its implication of a festival, On the Racecourse is a solemn landscape, contrasting with the sunny, prolific garden of Study From Nature, and the serene, late afternoon study of Seated Boy and Sea.