Reflections

de Elizabeth Cumming

Reflections: The light and life of John Henry Lorimer' is the first publication to document the life and work of the Scottish painter. It accompanies a major exhibition dedicated to his art at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh. The book explores his paintings through key themes: light, identity, family, femininity, home and place. From his turret studio in Kellie Castle, the Fife property leased and restored by his family in 1878, Lorimer presented scenes that tenderly capture social and emotional situations: the joy of motherhood, the grief of a bride trapped by an arranged marriage, the fear of a young girl reading a letter sent from the frontline, and the tenderness of a family birthday party.00Lorimer?s art was particularly appreciated in Paris, with Grandmother?s Birthday (1893) the first painting by a Scottish artist to be bought by the French Government. His art retains popular appeal with The Flight of the Swallows at the City Art Centre and Spring Moonlight at Kirkcaldy Galleries recently voted their most favourite works of art.