Description
Sally Gaywood’s Oxford Study II, St John’s College captures the historic architecture of St John’s College, Oxford, one of the University of Oxford’s constituent colleges. In this intimate architectural study, Gaywood focuses on the college’s historic frontage and arched entrance, partially framed by the dark trunk and spreading branches of a mature tree. Warm ochre and honeyed tones suggest sunlight falling across the Oxford stone, while passages of muted blue, green and brown introduce shadow and depth. A solitary figure beneath the gateway provides a subtle sense of scale, emphasising the imposing character and long history of the building. While Gaywood is particularly associated with atmospheric landscapes of Dartmoor and the English countryside, here the artist applies the same sensitivity to light, atmosphere and sense of place to one of Oxford’s historic collegiate buildings. Rather than recording every architectural detail precisely, Gaywood uses loose, expressive brushwork and softly modulated colour to evoke the experience of encountering St John’s College in changing light.
