This oil painting by William Cadenhead (1934–2005) captures the scenic landscape of the Valley of Strathmore, as viewed from Dennichen Hill, located in Central Angus, Scotland. The hill is historically significant as the presumed site of the Battle of Dun Nechtain, fought between the Picts and Northumbrians in 685. Cadenhead, who grew up in Angus, was deeply inspired by the surrounding mountainous regions, including the Angus Glens and the Grampian Mountains, which frequently featured in his work. Known for painting en plein air, Cadenhead allowed the natural beauty of the landscape to directly shape his artistic expression.

William Cadenhead DA Cert RAS, 1934-2005

Cadenhead grew up in the Angus Glens, which would go on to shape his core subject of landscape as an artist. He trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and, in 1957, won the David Murray Landscape Scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools in London. In 1961, he returned to Scotland to teach at Duncan of Jordanstone, where he was a much respected colleague of Alberto Morrocco and David McClure. The Angus Glens and the Grampian mountains towering above them became the subject of much of his work, and his intimate knowledge of the area fed into his paintings of rocks, clouds, wind and weather. He often painted en plein air, his canvas tied down against the wind. For Cadenhead, the importance of his landscapes lie in both their visual manifestations as well as their almost spiritual eduring qualities.