Page 109 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Scotland

GLASGOW  107

Glasgow Artists

The late 19th century was a time of great artistic activity in Glasgow, with painters such
as Sir James Guthrie, Robert McGregor and others rising to prominence. But snobbery
on the part of the Edinburgh-based arts establishment often led these men to seek
recogni tion outside Scotland. The term “Glasgow School” was coined after an 1890
London exhibition, but the artists generally called themselves “Glasgow Boys”. Art
Nouveau designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh contributed his genius to the creative life
of the city as well as to a new Glasgow School of Art, com pleted in two stages – 1899 and
1909. More recently, the term Glasgow Boys has been used to describe the generation of
artists who attended the School of Art in the 1970s and ’80s. Contemporary Glasgow
artists include Ken Currie and Peter Howson.

Stirling Station, by
William Kennedy
(1859–1918), depicts
the crowded platform
with people waiting for
a train. The rich colours,
and steam from the
trains, contribute to
the atmosphere of
this bustling station.

A Star (1891) by Sir John Lavery is
indicative of the artist’s dashing, fluid,
style as a portraitist. Born in Belfast,
Lavery studied at Glasgow and was part
of the Whistler- and Impres sionist-
influenced Glasgow School.

In The Wayfarer, by
Edward Arthur Walton
(1860–1922), the winding Mackintosh’s stylized flowers are
path leads the viewer into a striking example of Art Nouveau
the distance, in the direc- Designed by Mackintosh decoration, juxtaposing the organic
tion of the wayfarer’s gaze.
in 1901, the House for an Art with the geometric.
Lover (see p109) was finally
built in 1996. The design of
the building and all of the
furniture remains true to the
original plans.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Glasgow’s most celebrated designer (1868–
1928) entered Glasgow School of Art at the
Mackintosh’s unique age of 16. After his success with the Willow
fluidity of form is seen Tea Room, he became a leading figure in
in this detail from a the Art Nouveau movement. His charac­
stained-glass door in the teristic straight lines and flowing detail are
House for an Art Lover. the hallmark of early 20th­century style.

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