Early Spring by Robert Blyth (1919-1971) is a sombre, atmospheric landscape painting capturing winter's lingering darkness. Bare trees dominate the scene, their dark, tangled branches silhouetted against a heavy grey sky. A solitary white house is discernable in the background, hinting at human presence amid the quiet. Painted in earthy browns and muted greys, the work evokes the subdued mood of early spring - when the season shifts, but the warmth has yet to take hold.

Robert Henderson Blyth RSA RSW, 1919-1971

Born in Glasgow, Blyth had a picture exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy when he was only fifteen. He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1934 to 1939 and spent a post-diploma year at Hospitalfield in Arbroath, Angus, under James Cowie, who was a considerable early influence on his work. In 1941 he joined the army as a medical orderly and saw service in France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. He joined the teaching staff of Edinburgh College of Art in 1946 as assistant to William Gillies, whom he accompanied on several painting expeditions in Scotland. In 1954 he left the college for Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, where in 1960, he became Head of the Department of Drawing and Painting.