Artwork
Leaning Tree
Leaning Tree is an unspecified painting by William Howis junior. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.
About this work
Overview
Leaning Tree, executed around 1852 by Irish painter William Howis Jr., is an oil work in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. The composition centres on a solitary tree whose massive trunk tilts toward the right, creating a sense of forward motion that engages the viewer’s eye.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a single, weather‑worn tree set against a verdant landscape. Its leaning posture and the presence of a stump in the distance suggest themes of resilience and the passage of time, while the surrounding foliage offers a contrast between vitality and the tree’s aged, gnarled form.
Technique & Style
Howis employs a muted palette of greys, browns and deep greens, rendering the bark with a textured, almost tactile surface that reveals knots and hollows. Loose, expressive brushwork gives the foliage a scattered, natural appearance, and the angle of the trunk is emphasized through subtle tonal shifts that draw the viewer inward.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1850s, the work entered the National Gallery of Ireland’s holdings in the early 20th century, where it has remained on public display. Its attribution to William Howis Jr. is supported by stylistic analysis and contemporary exhibition records linking the artist to similar landscape subjects.
Artist & collection
