Rhododendrons

George Reid's 'Rhododendrons' (1887) represents the landscape and garden subject dimension of his primarily portrait-based practice. The rhododendron was a fashionable garden plant in Victorian Scotland — introduced from the Himalayas and naturalized in the western Scottish climate with extraordinary success, the rhododendrons' spectacular spring flowering making them a subject of intense decorative appeal. Reid's engagement with the plant's masses of blossom demonstrates his sensitivity to the visual opportunities of the garden alongside his portrait practice.

Reid renders the rhododendron blossoms with attention to their characteristic massed form — the clusters of flowers building into the great flowering masses that distinguished the plant in the garden. His palette engages with the range of rhododendron colors — from white through pink and crimson to purple — while maintaining the atmospheric unity that characterized all his work. The Scottish light on the blossoms has a different quality from Mediterranean garden light.