James Paterson (painter)
Encyclopedia
James Paterson was a Scottish landscape painter who settled in Edinburgh
and produced several accomplished portraits of some of his notable contemporaries. In a talk to the Edinburgh Photographic Society he declared : ‘In comparison with drawing, as a means of penetrating and recording for oneself impressions, photography is of far inferior value.’
Paterson came from a prosperous Glasgow
textile family, and grew up in an era when being an artist was disapproved. He held down a job while studying at the Glasgow School of Art
, and enjoyed tuition under A. D. Robertson, widely regarded as one of Glasgow's finest watercolourists. Financed by his father, he set out in 1876 for Paris to study under Louis Jacquesson de La Chevreuse and Jean Paul Laurens.
In 1879 he visited the village of Moniaive
in Dumfries and Galloway
in Scotland, where he found the scenery to his liking and conducive to painting 'en plein air'. After his marriage to Eliza Ferguson in 1884, they settled in a cottage given them as a wedding present by James' parents. He spent more than 22 years in the area producing images of the Nithsdale
and Ayrshire
hills, the Solway Firth
and the local streams, deftly capturing the ephemeral colours and light of the Scottish countryside. Perhaps his most renowned work in the area was his detailed account, paintings and sketches of the home of Thomas Carlyle
, Craigenputtock
. Over this time he formed friendships with Sir James Guthrie
, E. A. Walton, William York Macgregor
, Edward Atkinson Hornel
and others - who came to be known collectively as The Glasgow Boys
- all fellow members of Glasgow Art Club
. Work by Paterson was included in Glasgow Art Club's Memorial Exhibition in 1935, in memory of those of its members who had died since the First World War.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and produced several accomplished portraits of some of his notable contemporaries. In a talk to the Edinburgh Photographic Society he declared : ‘In comparison with drawing, as a means of penetrating and recording for oneself impressions, photography is of far inferior value.’
Paterson came from a prosperous Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
textile family, and grew up in an era when being an artist was disapproved. He held down a job while studying at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
, and enjoyed tuition under A. D. Robertson, widely regarded as one of Glasgow's finest watercolourists. Financed by his father, he set out in 1876 for Paris to study under Louis Jacquesson de La Chevreuse and Jean Paul Laurens.
In 1879 he visited the village of Moniaive
Moniaive
Moniaive is a village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, near Thornhill, on the A702 road and B729 road. Population 520 . The name is from Gaelic monadh-abh and means "Hill of Streams". It is situated at the northern end of the very scenic and tranquil Cairn Valley...
in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
in Scotland, where he found the scenery to his liking and conducive to painting 'en plein air'. After his marriage to Eliza Ferguson in 1884, they settled in a cottage given them as a wedding present by James' parents. He spent more than 22 years in the area producing images of the Nithsdale
Nithsdale
Nithsdale , also known by its anglicised gaelic name Strathnith or Stranit, is the valley of the River Nith in Scotland, and the name of the region...
and Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
hills, the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
and the local streams, deftly capturing the ephemeral colours and light of the Scottish countryside. Perhaps his most renowned work in the area was his detailed account, paintings and sketches of the home of Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
, Craigenputtock
Craigenputtock
Craigenputtock is the craig/whinstone hill of the puttocks . It is the upland farming estate on the watershed between Dumfries and Galloway, from Dumfries and Castle Douglas...
. Over this time he formed friendships with Sir James Guthrie
James Guthrie
James Guthrie was a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and served as Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President Franklin Pierce.- Early life :...
, E. A. Walton, William York Macgregor
William York Macgregor
William York Macgregor was a Scottish landscape painter.Macgregor studied in Glasgow under Robert Greenlees and Docharty and at the Slade School under Alphonse Legros. He joined James Paterson in 1878 and they were co-founders of the Glasgow School...
, Edward Atkinson Hornel
Edward Atkinson Hornel
Edward Atkinson Hornel was a Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers, and foliage, with children. He was a cousin of James Hornell....
and others - who came to be known collectively as The Glasgow Boys
The Glasgow School
The Glasgow School is a compilation album by the Scottish band Orange Juice, released in 2005. It contains the band's four singles for Postcard Records, the greater part of the 1992 compilation album Ostrich Churchyard , an alternate version of "Simply Thrilled Honey",...
- all fellow members of Glasgow Art Club
Glasgow Art Club
Glasgow Art Club is a club for practicing and retired artists and lay members with an interest in the arts, that has become over the generations “a meeting place for artists, business leaders and academics.” - History and premises :...
. Work by Paterson was included in Glasgow Art Club's Memorial Exhibition in 1935, in memory of those of its members who had died since the First World War.