Sir James Guthrie HRA PRSA HRSW 1859-1930
Sir James Guthrie was one of the Glasgow Boys. Born at Greenock, he turned to painting after studying law at Glasgow University. In the early 1880s he lived and worked at Cockburnspath with others of the group, including Walton and Crawhall, painting the local landscape and people.
John Lavery claimed that seeing Guthrie’s painting persuaded him to stay on in Glasgow rather than return to France, such was the advanced state of modern Scottish art. Guthrie’s drive and talent established him as the leader of the group of like-minded artists. He left his studies in law at Glasgow in 1877 to pursue a career in art; he was largely self-taught. The tonal palette and unsentimental vision of Bastien-Lepage’s painting was of enormous importance to Guthrie in particular. His square brush technique and puttylike textures were adopted more enthusiastically by Guthrie than anyone else in the group. As such, the quotidian became the subject of scrutiny. Filtered through the lens of French innovations, he caught the mood of the time, and his early success convinced others that the imperial city of Glasgow was the place to be.
We are actively seeking consignments of work by James Guthrie. Please contact us with details or to enquire after available works by this artist.
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Master Drawings New York
at Robert Simon Fine Art 20 - 28 Jan 2023An exhibition of British and Scottish pictures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and decorative art and furniture from the late nineteenth century: prints by James Whistler; a group of...Read more -
The Glasgow Boys
30 Jun - 26 Aug 2022When the Glasgow Boys rose to prominence in the 1880s, there was a sense of wonder at how a group of Scottish painters could hold such sway in the academies,...Read more -
Twenty Twenty One
30 Sep - 13 Nov 2021The Fine Art Society presents an exhibition of work by Scottish artists, including: Allan Ramsay, Sir Henry Raeburn, John Knox, Sir David Wilkie, Patrick Nasmyth, David Roberts, Alexander Johnston, Sam...Read more -
The Glasgow Boys & Galloway Pictures
Harbour Cottage Gallery, Kirkcudbright 14 - 29 Aug 2021Harbour Cottage Gallery Castle Bank, Kirkcudbright DG6 4LB Open 11am to 5pm Monday through Saturday 12pm to 5pm on Sundays In this, our 6th exhibition at Harbour Cottage Gallery and...Read more -
The Glasgow Boys
10 Jun - 24 Jul 2021When the Glasgow Boys rose to prominence in the 1880s, there was a sense of wonder at how a group of Scottish painters could hold such sway in the academies,...Read more -
Fleming At Fifty
Radicals, Pioneers and Rebels 15 Aug - 3 Sep 2018In partnership with The Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, the exhibition showcased historic nineteenth and early twentieth Scottish paintings in modern and timely contexts, focusing on pioneering female artists, migration and refugee...Read more -
The Glasgow Boys 1870-1910
21 Jul - 28 Aug 2017In a reaction to the prescribed approach to the Victorian painting of the late nineteenth century, the Glasgow Boys sought a new and ‘modern’ style of painting, where their compositions...Read more -
Lavery and The Glasgow Boys
7 Apr - 8 May 2010No one quite understood why art should flourish in grimy Glasgow at the turn of the twentieth century. Even in eulogies on the ‘second city of the Empire’ there was...Read more
