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First Light, Torlum Hill

Artist: Braham, Philip, RSA · b. 1959

First Light, Torlum Hill

Painted in the artist's studio in Crieff from studies taken on the spot at nearby Torlum Wood. Situated to the South between Crieff and Comrie the…

Painted in the artist's studio in Crieff from studies taken on the spot at nearby Torlum Wood.

Situated to the South between Crieff and Comrie the area of woodland, comprising Sitka spruce, oak, Juniper and alder trees, wraps around two low hills of which Torlum is the higher.

The artist has provided the following statement regarding the genesis of this work;

"First Light, Torlum Hill was painted in the summer of 2020, following the lifting of lockdown restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020. When the pandemic struck, it was a fearful time as the death toll rose daily and families were obliged to isolate to avoid spreading the virus further. The dark months of spring seemed to lighten as summer advanced. It appeared that the pandemic had passed its peak, and that normal life could resume again shortly. On 11th July, I set off at 4am to walk to the top of Torlum Hill to watch the sun rise over the hills behind Crieff. There was a tangible sense of relief in the air, and I wanted to celebrate that sense of hope through the painting.

The painting depicts the brooding clouds, and the orange glow of the new dawn which gradually lightens the valley of Strathearn. In the middle distance, lights glimmer from the town of Crieff, where I live. From this perspective, it seemed that the worst had passed, and although the cost to society had been dreadful, the race for an effective vaccine was underway.

As it turned out, this was a false dawn. The virus would mutate, ushering a second wave more fatal than the first, and the country went into a second lockdown at Christmas. However, on 8 December, the first vaccine was administered in the UK, and it would soon be offered to every citizen, and with that, the dread at last began to dissipate.

I would like to offer First Light, Torlum Hill to the Royal Scottish Academy as my Diploma submission, and I hope that the Academy is content for it to enter its collection as a painting which celebrates the victory of hope over fear."

© The Royal Scottish Academy