Reekie, Glasgow 

John Atkinson Grimshaw captured this atmospheric Glasgow street scene using oil paints, a medium prized for its versatility and ability to render light and shadow. The artist builds up layers of thin glazes, manipulating the paint to mimic the damp, heavy air and the slick cobblestones reflecting gaslight. Look at the ghostly silhouettes of ships' masts in the distance and the soft glow emanating from the shops. Grimshaw masterfully uses the fluidity of oil paint to evoke the sensory experience of a night in an industrial port city. Consider the social context: Glasgow was a hub of shipbuilding and trade, but also rife with poverty and pollution. Grimshaw romanticizes this reality, but his choice of subject matter reflects the changing urban landscape. By focusing on the materiality of paint and its ability to conjure mood, Grimshaw elevates the everyday into art.