TW426927 Gathering Bracken, c.1899 (oil on canvas) by La Thangue, Henry Herbert (1859-1929); 119.3x100.4 cm; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; (add.info.: Henry La Thangue painted in the open air, choosing scenes showing rural workers. The woman and elderly man in this picture are cutting bracken with sickles, perhaps for fuel or animal bedding. The composition of the picture brings the viewer very close to the figures, emphasising their importance within the scene. La Thangue used square-ended brushes, which produced a slightly broken outline. This allowed the figures to blend into their surroundings. He was strongly influenced by similar scenes painted a few years earlier by French Ruralist artists;); 穢 Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums; English, out of copyright.