As the name suggests, this painting depicts four human figures caught in the rain. Capturing the world around is at the centre of Emily Learmont's art, and this piece depicts a scene that is immediately familiar to the viewer. It is dominated by the huge, all-embracing, grey sky which immediately conveys the mood of the piece. The figures at the bottom are small and even insignificant in comparison, yet they draw the eye of the viewer by providing the only brief flashes of colour on display.
This piece was produced in 1996 as an oil painting on canvas. One interesting decision by the artist has been to intentionally let the paint run all the way to the bottom, resulting in multiple lines which resemble rain.
Born in Edinburgh in 1965, Emily Learmont studied at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Academy schools in London. She won a travel scholarship to Paris and the Christie's Award for painting in 1990. She has painted across Europe, including working as artist-in-residence at the Kunstcentrum in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has illustrated for a range of institutions, including NHS Health Scotland, the Scottish Storytelling Centre and Speechmark Publishing. She teaches in the Education Department of the National Galleries of Scotland.
Art in Healthcare's blog entry about Emily Learmont
