James Dickson Innes
Encyclopedia
James Dickson Innes was a British painter, mainly of mountain landscapes but occasionally of figure subjects. He worked in both oils and water-colours.
, in south Wales. His father, John Innes, who had come from Scotland
, was an historian and had an interest in a local brass and copper works; his mother was of Catalan descent. He had two brothers, Alfred and Jack.
His parents sent him to be educated at Christ College, Brecon
. Afterwards he studied at the Carmarthen School of Art (1904-5), from where he won a scholarship to the Slade School of Art in London (1905-8).
From 1907 he exhibited with the New English Art Club
; and in 1911 he became a member of the Camden Town Group
.
In 1911 and 1912 he spent some time painting with Augustus John
around Arenig Fawr
in the Arenig valley in north Wales; but much of his work was done overseas, mainly in France
(1908-1913), notably at Collioure
, but also in Spain
(1913) and Morocco (1913) - foreign travel having been prescribed after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis
. Eventually, on 22 August 1914, at the age of twenty-seven, he died of the disease at a nursing home in Swanley
, Kent
.
's fascination with painting Arenig Fawr
and the Arenig valley was the subject of a BBC
documentary titled The Mountain That Had to Be Painted.
Biography
James Dickson Innes was born on 27 February 1887 in LlanelliLlanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, in south Wales. His father, John Innes, who had come from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, was an historian and had an interest in a local brass and copper works; his mother was of Catalan descent. He had two brothers, Alfred and Jack.
His parents sent him to be educated at Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It caters for pupils from eleven to eighteen.Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII...
. Afterwards he studied at the Carmarthen School of Art (1904-5), from where he won a scholarship to the Slade School of Art in London (1905-8).
From 1907 he exhibited with the New English Art Club
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.-History:Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886...
; and in 1911 he became a member of the Camden Town Group
Camden Town Group
The Camden Town Group was a group of English Post-Impressionist artists active 1911-1913. They gathered frequently at the studio of painter Walter Sickert in the Camden Town area of London.-History:...
.
In 1911 and 1912 he spent some time painting with Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
around Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr is a mountain located in Snowdonia, North Wales. The mountain, which is the largest in the area, lies close to Llyn Celyn reservoir alongside the A4212 between Trawsfynydd and Bala.-Location:...
in the Arenig valley in north Wales; but much of his work was done overseas, mainly in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1908-1913), notably at Collioure
Collioure
Collioure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies on the Mediterranean and was a part of the ancient Roussillon province....
, but also in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(1913) and Morocco (1913) - foreign travel having been prescribed after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Eventually, on 22 August 1914, at the age of twenty-seven, he died of the disease at a nursing home in Swanley
Swanley
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Select Works
- The Seine at Caudebec (1908)
- Thunder in the Mountains (1910)
- The Waterfall (1910) (Tate Gallery, London)
- The Cathedral at Elne (1911) (National Museum Cardiff)
- Tryweryn Valley (1911) (Parc Howard Museum, Llanelli)
- Bala Lake (1911)
- Ranunculus (1912) (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool)
- Arenig, North Wales (1913) (Tate Gallery, London)
- Inkwell and Pens (Museum of Modern Art Wales, Machynlleth)
Media
In 2011 Innes and Augustus JohnAugustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
's fascination with painting Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr is a mountain located in Snowdonia, North Wales. The mountain, which is the largest in the area, lies close to Llyn Celyn reservoir alongside the A4212 between Trawsfynydd and Bala.-Location:...
and the Arenig valley was the subject of a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary titled The Mountain That Had to Be Painted.
Further reading
- J. D. Innes 1887-1914 [exhibition catalogue Llanelli Public Library Nevill Memorial Gallery] (1987)
- Some Miraculous Promised Land: J. D. Innes, Augustus John and Derwent Lees in north Wales 1910-12 [exhibition catalogue, Mostyn Art Gallery, Llandudno] (1982)
- James Dickson Innes [exhibition catalogue, Southampton City Art Gallery, et alib.] (1978)
- Modern English Painters Lewis to Moore by John Rothenstein (1956)
- Augustus John, Chiaroscuro (1952)
- J. Fothergill, James Dickson Innes (1948)
- R. Schwabe, 'Reminiscences of Fellow Students', in The Burlington Magazine (1943 January)