John Robertson Reid RI ROI, Scottish 1851-1926- Idle Moments; oil on canvas, signed and dated 76, 61.5x46cm Notes: Reid originally trained at the Edinburgh School of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy under the guidance of George Chalmers and William MacTaggart, before developing a mature style inspired by the rural naturalism of Sir George Clausen and French Realists, such as Jules Bastien-Lepage. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1877, having settled in the South of England, finding success for his outdoor genre paintings of the Surrey countryside. In 1874, the year of the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris, Reid began painting 'en plein air'. Reid was pioneering in Britain for publicly propagandising this method and extoling their virtues. He often hired local villagers to pose in his scenes, fascinated with the gestures of candid social activity and the subtle expression of character in his subjects. In this painting, golden light falls on the back of young female figure, focusing the eye on her quiet, playful interaction with kitten on the pedestal below. Reid’s appointment as President of the Society of British Artists in 1886 and the Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers in 1898 cemented his reputation and introduced him to London society. The young Sir Winston Churchill used to paint outdoors in his company. Please refer to department for condition report