Attributed to William Greaves

Attributed to WILLIAM GREAVES (England 1852-1938).
Untitled.
Oil on canvas.
It presents damages in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 100 x 135 cm; 109 x 144 cm (frame).
The work of William Greaves places us in a typically English country landscape, conceived with a delicate balance between naturalism and pictorial lyricism. At the center of the composition stands the figure of the shepherd, the visual and narrative anchor of the scene, whose presence gives the canvas a sense of daily life and rural tradition. Around him, a flock of sheep disperses serenely, in a movement that suggests both order and freedom within the landscape.
The environment opens up into soft green meadows, bathed by a diffuse light that refers to an idyllic atmosphere. The brushstroke, attentive to detail but without rigidity, conveys the freshness of the grass and the cottony texture of the sheep's fleece. On the horizon, the lines of trees and the subtle presence of the cloudy sky complete the composition, giving depth and spatial continuity.
The scene is not limited to mere topographical representation, but acquires an evocative character: it synthesizes the ancestral link between man and nature, between pastoral work and the bucolic stillness of the countryside.
William Greaves was born in Leeds and studied at Sheffield College of Art. He traveled and exhibited widely in galleries such as the Royal Academy, the Royal Cambrian Academy, Manchester and Liverpool. He worked mainly in oils and his subjects include landscapes of Wharfedale in Yorkshire and Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire and the surrounding area.