Benachie 1911

James McBey created this etching, Benachie, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It depicts a rural scene in Scotland. McBey's work reflects a broader art world trend of turning away from urban life toward the countryside. We see a woman in the field with cows, and a simple wire fence to keep them from wandering too far. In its own time, this kind of image reinforced the status of rural life as the authentic heart of the nation, a kind of imagined community that overlooked the complexities of modern Scottish society. To understand this work better, we might investigate the popularity of rural imagery in Scottish art institutions of the period. We could also look at the influence of the Scottish Colourists on McBey's aesthetic choices. These avenues of inquiry show us how the art of the past speaks to the issues of its own time.