Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. David Gauld died in 1936; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2006.
In context
Farm Yard — David Gauld
The original measures 51 × 64 cm (height × width), drawn here beside an adult of average height.
Row above: the year. Row below: the artist's age in that year.
Shaded: the lifetime of David Gauld (1865–1936)
First works: up to 1893 Main working years: 1893–1920 Late works: from 1920
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell.
This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/david-gauld-farm-yard-AS7E89-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Clay #946d58
Catalogued palette
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 100.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 35 works by this artist, of which 8 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 3 of them, with 8.0% of that attention.
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
In the vibrant, shifting landscape of late nineteenth-century Scotland, few artists captured the intersection of tradition and modernity as gracefully as David Gauld. Born in Glasgow in 1865, Gauld emerged not merely as a painter, but as a pioneer who bridged the gap between the delicate intricacies of graphic design and the monumental presence of stained glass. His journey was one of profound aesthetic evolution, deeply rooted in the artistic ferment of the Glasgow Boys movement, a group that sought to break free from the rigid academicism of the era in favor of more naturalistic, emotive, and experimental approaches.
Gauld’s early creative impulses were shaped by a meticulous eye for detail, a trait honed during his formative years as a lithographer. When he entered the Glasgow School of Art in 1882, he brought with him a burgeoning fascination with the aesthetics of the East. This period was marked by an intense engagement with Japanese prints, whose flattened perspectives and bold, calligraphic lines would forever haunt his compositions. His early public recognition arrived through his evocative pen and ink drawings for The Glasgow Weekly Citizen, works that demonstrated a masterful command of line and a rhythmic, organic sensibility that hinted at the Art Nouveau revolution still on the horizon.
As Gauld’s career progressed, his artistic medium expanded from the delicate surface of paper to the luminous, translucent medium of stained glass. This transition allowed him to explore the interplay of light and color in a way that few of his contemporaries could match. During his time in Kirkcudbright between 1891 and 1894, Gauld undertook significant commissions for Guthrie and Wells, creating windows that were much more than mere architectural ornaments. These works were tapestries of light, where the organic, flowing forms of the Art Nouveau style met the soulful, symbolic depth of the Pre-Raphaelite tradition.
His technique in glasswork was characterized by a profound understanding of how color interacts with natural illumination. By manipulating texture and pigment, he could evoke a sense of atmosphere that felt both ethereal and grounded. This mastery of medium reflected his broader artistic philosophy: a belief that art should not only represent the world but also transform the space it inhabits. Whether working in oil, ink, or glass, Gauld sought to capture the essence of his subjects—be they the quiet dignity of a portrait or the rugged beauty of the Scottish landscape—through a lens of stylized elegance.
The trajectory of David Gauld’s life was marked by both collaboration and solitary refinement. His associations with other luminaries of the Glasgow School, such as William Stewart Shirreffs and Harrington Mann, placed him at the heart of a transformative period in Scottish art history. Even as his professional relationships shifted and he relocated between Glasgow, Kirkcudbright, and North Berwick, his commitment to innovation remained steadfast. He stood as a vital link between the nineteenth-century fascination with naturalism and the twentieth-century embrace of decorative modernism.
Today, Gauld is remembered as an artist of immense versatility and foresight. His ability to synthesize diverse influences—from the precision of Japanese woodblock prints to the romanticism of the Pre-Raphaelites—allowed him to contribute a unique voice to the Glasgow Style. His legacy lives on in the enduring beauty of his glasswork and the quiet, powerful presence of his paintings, which continue to resonate with an appreciation for craftsmanship, light, and the enduring spirit of Scottish innovation.
topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/david-gauld-farm-yard-AS7E89-en/
Look closely
Farm Yard — David Gauld
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
The palette of "Farm Yard" is balanced soft in saturation.
The diaporama of "Farm Yard" can be watched on the artwork's Diaporama page.
In terms of perceived brightness, "Farm Yard" by David Gauld is brilliant.
The artist behind "Farm Yard" is David Gauld. The work is catalogued under David Gauld's name.
"Farm Yard" by David Gauld is a landscape composition. The proportions are worth checking before choosing a print size.
You can order a hand-painted reproduction of "Farm Yard" by David Gauld directly on this page: a hand-painted oil reproduction on linen canvas, made to order.
A print of "Farm Yard" by David Gauld can be ordered directly on this page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.