The Glasgow Boys
The Glasgow Boys, or School, was created when a loosely-knit collective of young Glasgow-based artists got together in the 1880s. They wanted to challenge the pre-eminence and what they considered the oppressive influence of Edinburgh and the Royal Scottish Academy.
Several of these gifted artists had trained in Paris, where they had been heavily influenced by the modern ideas of social realism in art. In particular this was expressed by French artist Jean Bastien-Lepage (1848-1884). The Glasgow artists also greatly admired the work of James Whistler.
'To Pastures New' by artist Sir James Guthrie
The group included such fine impressionistic artists as W. Y. Macgregor, Sir Arthur Walton, Sir James Guthrie and John Lavery.
The Glasgow Boys school had no official membership. Neither did it organise annual exhibitions. In fact there are even arguments as to who was actually a member of the group. By the early 1900s the great heyday of the Glasgow School had passed, but its influence continued to help shape the face of painting in Scotland for many years to come – right up until the present day in fact.
Other painters closely associated with the Glasgow Boys included: Joseph Crawhall, , George Henry and E. A. Hornel. Artists who come on an Inspiration Holidays Painting Holiday in Scotland can enjoy the unique privilege of setting up their easels and painting in E. A. Hornel’s original studio in Kirkcudbright.
'The Tennis Party' by artist Sir John Lavery - one of The Glasgow Boys school of painting
The Glasgow Boys were frequently referred to as ‘Impressionists’. An apt description.
Following the example of the French Impressionists the Glasgow Boys painted contemporary urban and rural subjects. In particular, they painted the upper middle class enjoying their leisure pursuits such as tennis, croquet and boating.
In 1885, Lavery produced a detailed series of painting inspired by the social rituals associated with tennis, culminating in his masterpiece of modern life painting, The Tennis Party.
In 1890, James Guthrie produced a collection of pastels that captured tea parties and tennis matches. These pictures which caught fleeting atmospheric effects and had their emphasis on light, were Guthrie’s first truly ‘impressionist’ works.
You will learn more about this gifted and fascinating group of artists when you come on an Inspiration Holidays Painting Holiday in Scotland – known since the days of the Glasgow Boys as Scotland’s Artists’ Town. Your tutor artist Sue Ford will take you to some of the delightful locations they painted and give illustrated talks about their work and achievements.
'Mine Own Back Garden' by E. A. Hornel. This painting of small garden shows the distinctive skyline of Kirkcudbright with its Tolbooth. This viewpoint is still there today. The painting is property of The Hunterian Gallery, Glasgow University
