Arnacle Geese Possibly 1935

Archibald Thorburn painted these ‘Arnacle Geese’ in 1935 with watercolour, creating a delicate but purposeful scene. Imagine him there, with the geese, carefully rendering them so they spring to life before us. I love the layered washes and the contrast between the solid geese and the soft, almost blurry background. You can almost feel the chill of the place, the moisture in the air. I imagine him thinking about how to capture the texture of the feathers, the weight of the geese on the ground. Look at the way he uses those blues and browns, how the colours blend but still hold their own. I think of other painters who loved animals like Franz Marc. There is a similar sense of trying to capture the essence of these creatures, their weight, and their presence in the world. It’s like he’s saying, "Here, look at these geese. See how beautiful they are?"