Katib Summit by James McBey (1883-1959) depicts in soft washes of watercolour over loose sketch lines the viewpoint of Katib. A group of figures is seen walking along the rolling desert hills, as McBey has used light strokes of overlaying diluted brown colour to convey both the vastness of the landscape and the lack of vegetation.

The quick sketch strokes and light layering of watercolour suggests this piece may have been captured in Plein Air. McBey was well known for his etchings, and often these depicted parts of his travels, which Katib may refer to an area of southwestern Saudi Arabia. 

James McBey, 1883-1959

Born in Newburgh, on the Aberdeenshire coast, McBey was largely self-taught, although he had attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. He moved to London in 1911, and held his first exhibition of etchings at Goupil's; this was followed by a show in Glasgow in 1912 and one in Edinburgh in 1913. He gained considerable reputation as an etcher and painter, his subject-matter inspired by his many travels to Spain, Morocco, Venice and America. He was, from 1916 to 1918, an Official War Artist on the western Front in France, in Egypt and in Palestine.