Dinant

D.Y. Cameron was a successful painter and a very influential etcher. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art before joining life classes at the Royal Scottish Academy. His work was acclaimed in Edinburgh, London, Berlin and Munich. During the First World War, Cameron was appointed official war artist to the Canadian government and in 1933 was made the King's Painter in Scotland. Cameron was highly sought after by collectors until the Great Crash of 1929 brought a collapse in prices for prints in general. Despite his excellence as a printmaker, his work still remains underrated both in art historical and market terms.

Strong tonal contrasts characterise his prints and his stark and dramatic paintings, which are mainly landscapes and cityscapes. His prints often feature areas of great darkness, offset by highlights. Cameron’s etchings are notable for their use of drypoint, a skill that he had mastered over his years of production. This is particularly evident in his studies of church interiors and Scottish landscapes.

In 1907 Cameron produced the 'Belgium Set' as a result of his recent travels to that country, Dinant being part of this set. The highly detailed houses run right through the centre of the work. Shadows on the left walls of some buildings are periodically intensified, breaking up the scene and preventing it from becoming one of monotony. Specific architectural detail is given to the windows of the houses and the bridge stretching over the River Meuse on the right. Notre Dame Cathedral is visible behind the houses on the left of the work. Uncharacteristically, the cathedral is lacking in detail, the full focus of Cameron’s skill in drypoint being given to the neighbouring houses.

Sources:

Arthur M. Hind, The Etchings of D.Y. Cameron (London; Halton and Truscott Smith, 1924)

National Galleries Scotland,

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Young_Cameron

Dr Mark Stocker  Curator, Historical International Art   December 2017