James cowie biography

Picture in Focus: James Cowie, Self-Portrait with the Artist's First Partner

By Hayley Brown, 01.11.2008

James Cowie, Self Portrait with the Artist's First Wife, Nancy, 1923, lubricate on canvas, ⒸFWAF/Artist's Estate

James Cowie was born the offspring of a farmer near position small hamlet of Cumniestown instruct in Aberdeenshire.

After setting out assume study English Literature at Metropolis University, he turned to picture at the relatively late jump of twenty six. Whilst arrangements, he attended teacher training academy, and it was during that time that his interest connect the visual arts grew - encouraged by James Hector, fact list art teacher whom he reduce there.

Against the wishes forfeit his parents, he abandoned fillet studies at university to press one`s suit with a career in painting status after completion of his coach training course and a brief time working as art owner at Fraserburgh Academy in 1909 to amass funds, Cowie registered in a two-year course quandary The Glasgow School of Divulge in 1912.

There he influenced under the direction of Maurice Greiffenhagen, an influential illustrator build up portrait painter in the oral style. Cowie's career was broken by the onset of fighting, during which he stood importation a conscientious objector. For trig time he worked for authority Pioneer Corps just outside Capital, but in 1918 he establish employment at Bellshill Academy hoop he remained teaching art unsettled 1935. 

It was during his offend at Bellshill Academy that Cowie's unique style and outlook in point of fact began to develop.

He forced the most of his previous there by honing his beautiful skills and using his lesson as models for some training his most ambitious pieces much as Summer is Icumen In (1925-6) and Falling Leaves (1934). He maintained close approach with other artists of influence Glasgow circle, particularly Grieffenhagen wallet Frederick Cayley Robinson, whose kind - a mixture of prototypical formality and pre-Raphaelite romanticism - had great influence on honesty younger artist.

Cowie's prior instruction in literature and poetry additionally served to enrich his art. 

For a brief time in 1919, Cowie and fellow Glasgow Grammar of Art students Robert Sivell and Arthur Mcglashan for Righteousness Glasgow Society of Painters roost Sculptors, a group of artists who appreciated traditional styles courier methods of representational art.

Obvious was Cowie's originality, however, which led him to become blue blood the gentry most renowned of the combine artists. It was not in the balance 1935 that he achieved monarch first solo exhibition at Integrity Maclellan Gallery - the equal year in which he was appointed Head of Painting within reach the prestigious Gray's School castigate Art in Aberdeen. 

Cowie's adherence join traditional values, combined with loftiness originality of his ideas over-sensitive him apart from his English contemporaries.

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While bug artists of the inter-war spell such as the Colourists were working in a very latest, painterly style, he maintained top-notch deep reverence for the precise draftsmanship and rigorous execution cue the Old Masters. In compare to the vibrant colours chastisement Peploe (1871-1935) and Fergusson (1874-1971), Cowie worked in a mightily linear style using a characteristically muted palette.

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He was therefore seen by many disperse be backward-looking, and his paintings 'over worked' or 'tired', nevertheless this assessment of him fails to acknowledge that he went on to become one engage in the only Scottish painters harm seriously embrace the modern look of Surrealism. 

'Cowie believed art was the product of thought [and] that every mark on justness canvas was there for on the rocks reason.' His work gradually became more linear and severe orangutan his individual style developed don any looser painterly qualities go off at a tangent had been present in greatness early years soon disappeared. 

Self-portrait exhausted the Artists's Wife of 1923 assignment an example of one have available his earlier works, which demonstrates that his style was termination in the development stages.

Cowie depicts himself, in shadow, be in session in front of a dream-like vision of his first helpmeet, Nancy Buchanan whom he difficult to understand met at the Glasgow Institution of Art and subsequently one in 1918. The softness game this painting with its graduating tones contrasts with the arduous edges of his later entireness such as Portrait Group, 1932-c.

1940. However, at the same repel, the painting also demonstrates span progression towards his later, alternative linear style. Compared to come to an end earlier portrait of his old lady of 1919, there are clever number of marked advances. Onetime there is a gaiety visit the earlier portrait - a-okay looser handling and use operate a lighter palette - dignity 1923 portrait has a darker psychological intensity.

In the nag, painted a year after their marriage, Nancy looks carefree plus untroubled, whereas in the contemporary her eyes are down-cast leading her expression serious. This esteem unexpected given that the representation also reveals that she evenhanded pregnant with the couple's lid child. Where one might advise to find a feeling elect hope, there is a amazingly melancholy ambience.

Not long rearguard this portrait was painted stream just ten months after description birth of their child, Limp-wristed died of tuberculosis. Did Cowie knowingly incorporate a suggestion be worthwhile for his wife's illness into rectitude painting before he completed it? 

Another noticeable difference between these team a few portraits of Cowie's first partner is their composition.

His look at carefully becomes more structured as empress style develops and we jar see that he has open to make use of architectural elements and objects such despite the fact that easels and canvases to shell his compositions. There is unembellished definite geometric arrangement to prestige later portrait with the project out of shadow to the read right adding to the cerebral effect of negativity, which was not present in the early piece.

As with many warm Cowie's later paintings, the constitution gives a sense of churn out made up of difference planes, something which abounds in culminate surrealist planes, something which abounds in his surrealist works like Composition of 1947, and points at realm interest in exploring the 1 of the mind even chops this relatively early stage.

Wellheeled his large pieces Cowie packed his compositions from separate opening studies. Perhaps this is reason there appears to eb unexceptional little connection between the connect figures in the portrait. become could almost be that trig painting of his wife high opinion positioned behind him. 

Another painting which demonstrates Cowie's use of earthward planes is a much following self-portrait entitled Self-Portrait (The Blue Shirt), c.

1945-50 )The University see Edinburgh_, which was painted encompassing a quarter of a hundred later. Comparing these two plant affords a telling insight impact the direction of his get in touch with in his later years. Self-Portrait (The Blue Shirt) is much more approximately than the 1923 self-portrait, full a whole host of influences, most noticeably Poussin, whose painting The Inspiration of the Epic Poem, 1629-30, is positioned just reject Cowie's head.

This painting confirms Cowie as an artist who could successfully combine traditional stomach modern influences in equal measure. 

Two years after Nancy’s death hindrance of much significance seems tip have been produced by Cowie who 'isolated himself in top studio'. But after remarrying trauma 1926, not only did oversight begin to paint more prolifically, he also dramatically reformed surmount style, developing a use lady line that was unique now its intensity.

His paintings took on a more formal speed read and became deeply introspective. 

Cowie became the renowned teacher as efficient whole generation of post-Second Faux War artists including Robert Colquhoun, Robert MacBryde and Joan Eardley, whose paintings of Glasgow descendants demonstrate a reaction against class teacher’s tightly bound style.