John Henry Lorimer, RSA RSW RWS RP (British, 1856-1936) The House-builder 82.5 x 104 cm. (32 1/2 x 40 15/16 in.)John Henry Lorimer, RSA RSW RWS RP (British, 1856-1936)The House-builder signed 'J H Lorimer' (lower left), bears title to label (verso)oil on canvas82.5 x 104 cm. (32 1/2 x 40 15/16 in.)In a frame possibly designed by Robert LorimerExhibitedLondon, Royal Academy of Arts, 1910, no.766Winnipeg, Royal British Colonial Society of Artists, 1912The House-builder is a beautifully rendered domestic scene and is an important example of John Henry Lorimer's work that has not been seen for several decades. It shows the characteristic elements of much of Lorimer's work; the virtuoso handling of a mixture of light sources, in this case the glow of a fire and the daylight through the window, and the tender depiction of a family home. Like so many of Lorimer's genre paintings, it borrows many elements from the interiors of Kellie Castle, a Fife property leased and restored by his family from 1878 and a constant and deep inspiration. The painting invites you into an intimate space.Lorimer enjoyed international success. Most important of all, in 1912 the Société des Artistes Français recommended him for Légion d'Honneur, but sadly this ran up against British bureaucratic rules and was never awarded.In his turret studio at Kellie, Lorimer created scenes that tenderly capture social and emotional situations. He saw the sacrifices women made in marriage and motherhood, and he saw their delight in playing with and raising children. He recognised the creativity of his three sisters, but also knew the limits placed upon them, often representing them indoors, as if to symbolise the way that society kept women shut away. Lorimer captured the emotions and the experiences of women with empathy and compassion, refusing to patronise, objectify or over-sexualise his models, unlike many of his contemporaries. He chose to tell the stories of those less visible than him: his mother, sisters, nieces, their nanny. Women were the inspirations, confidantes and champions of John Henry Lorimer, a Scottish painter often plagued with self-doubt yet determined to brush the beauty and strength of femininity onto his canvas. (Charlotte Lorimer, Reflections, The Light and Life of John Henry Lorimer, edited by Elizabeth Cumming, Sansom & Company, Bristol, 2021, p.57).