In John Knox’s House, Edinburgh, Manly MacDonald presents a lively and characterful interpretation of the historic Scottish landmark. The composition centres on the tall, gabled building with its distinctive red-tiled roofs and clustered chimneys, rising against a brilliant cobalt blue sky. The structure’s irregular façade, with projecting windows and uneven rooflines, is emphasised through bold, dark contour lines that give the scene a graphic, almost stained-glass quality.

MacDonald uses vibrant, expressive colour rather than strict naturalism. Creamy whites and pale ochres define the main building, while deep blues and purples shape the shadows and neighbouring façades. The red roofs punctuate the composition with warmth, drawing the eye upward and creating a dynamic contrast with the cool sky. The heavy outlining and simplified planes of colour suggest the influence of modernist printmaking, even if the work incorporates painterly washes and layered texture.

At street level, small figures animate the foreground. A pair stands to the right in dark green tones, partially absorbed in shadow, while another figure in red provides a subtle accent on the left. The broad sweep of pale street in the lower half of the composition creates space and perspective, guiding the viewer’s gaze toward the architectural centrepiece.

The work balances architectural solidity with expressive freedom. MacDonald captures not just the structure itself, but the atmosphere of an old European street — steeped in history yet rendered with fresh colour and energetic line.