The Call to Dinner was painted from 1886 to 1887 by George Agnew Reid. The painting is an oil on canvas and is large in size, measuring 48 inches high and 71 inches long. Reid's paintings were often large in scale and it was said that "one canvas could dominate a room crowded with people". Early in his artistic career, Reid became known for his genre scenes. Genre painting depicts scenes from everyday life. In The Call to Lunch, the use of oil paint allows Reid to emphasize the principles of genre painting while allowing the realism and naturalism within the composition to be enhanced. In oil painting, ground pigment is mixed with linseed or walnut oil. The oil creates a smooth sheen on the surface of the painting. Finished in 1887, it is most likely that linseed oil was used as a base for the pigment due to the limited amount of cracking seen today. The advantages presented by oil paint include a slow drying time, which allows for greater flexibility and delicacy in mixing and blending colors. Additionally, oil paint can be applied thicker than other mediums, such as tempera. The focal point of the scene is the woman screaming in the distance. The subject of the painting appears to be in arrested motion. The woman's lips appear parted suggesting the action of the word. The woman is depicted wearing a grey-blue dress, white apron, red scarf and straw hat. The woman holds the brim of her hat with her left hand, indicating the potential force of the wind on the figures within the scene. His hat is painted in great detail. Reid uses short, thick brush strokes to mimic the textures of the hat, creating a realistic texture. The accumulation of heavy layers of oil paint creates the porcelain-like texture of the woman's side......in the center of the paper......in the painting is a darker tone of blue, while closer to the In the linear horizon of the painting, the blue changes to a lighter, almost white shade. The formal properties of George Agnew Reid's The Call to Dining contribute to the success of the genre scene and help find meaning within the painting. Through the benefits of oil paint, Reid is able to achieve a high level of realism and naturalism in The Call to Dinner. The versatility of the medium allows the artist to enhance all the details and elements within a painting and present a realistic reflection of everyday life. The naturalism in the movement is accentuated by the medium's ability to blend subtly. The material elements, which replicate the shapes of reality, are created through the adaptability of oil on canvas. The formal properties of the medium allow the artist to highlight a single moment of rural life.