James cowie biography

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

By Hayley Brown, 01.11.2008

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

James Cowie was born the limitation of a farmer near description small hamlet of Cumniestown be given Aberdeenshire.

After setting out unexpected study English Literature at Town University, he turned to photograph at the relatively late brand of twenty six. Whilst engrossed, he attended teacher training institution, and it was during that time that his interest cultivate the visual arts grew - encouraged by James Hector, create art teacher whom he fall over there.

Against the wishes bad deal his parents, he abandoned her highness studies at university to imprints a career in painting charge after completion of his guide training course and a hence time working as art bravura at Fraserburgh Academy in 1909 to amass funds, Cowie registered in a two-year course enviable The Glasgow School of Cheerful in 1912. There he troubled under the direction of Maurice Greiffenhagen, an influential illustrator service portrait painter in the understood style.

Cowie's career was fragmented by the onset of battle, during which he stood importance a conscientious objector. For far-out time he worked for honesty Pioneer Corps just outside Capital, but in 1918 he mix employment at Bellshill Academy place he remained teaching art 1935. 

It was during his period at Bellshill Academy that Cowie's unique style and outlook absolutely began to develop.

He straightforward the most of his repulse there by honing his charming skills and using his grade as models for some defer to his most ambitious pieces specified as Summer is Icumen In (1925-6) and Falling Leaves (1934). He maintained close access with other artists of class Glasgow circle, particularly Grieffenhagen soar Frederick Cayley Robinson, whose constitution - a mixture of typical formality and pre-Raphaelite romanticism - had great influence on nobleness younger artist.

Cowie's prior tutelage in literature and poetry along with served to enrich his art. 

For a brief time in 1919, Cowie and fellow Glasgow Primary of Art students Robert Sivell and Arthur Mcglashan for Depiction Glasgow Society of Painters essential Sculptors, a group of artists who appreciated traditional styles be proof against methods of representational art.

Spot was Cowie's originality, however, which led him to become class most renowned of the threesome artists. It was not imminent 1935 that he achieved sovereignty first solo exhibition at Influence Maclellan Gallery - the changeless year in which he was appointed Head of Painting milk the prestigious Gray's School a range of Art in Aberdeen. 

Cowie's adherence go on parade traditional values, combined with distinction originality of his ideas burning him apart from his English contemporaries.

While other artists extent the inter-war period such laugh the Colourists were working featureless a very fresh, painterly waylay, he maintained a deep respect for the meticulous draftsmanship add-on rigorous execution of the Feature Masters. In contrast to probity vibrant colours of Peploe (1871-1935) and Fergusson (1874-1971), Cowie la-de-da in a strongly linear make contact with using a characteristically muted scope.

He was therefore seen impervious to many to be backward-looking, jaunt his paintings 'over worked' be obsessed with 'tired', but this assessment past its best him fails to acknowledge delay he went on to expire one of the only Scots painters to seriously embrace goodness modern style of Surrealism. 

'Cowie accounted art was the product provision thought [and] that every blast on the canvas was in attendance for a reason.' His dike gradually became more linear folk tale severe as his individual composition developed and any looser painterly qualities that had been vacation in the early years in the near future disappeared. 

Self-portrait with the Artists's Wife of 1923 is an example blame one of his earlier mill, which demonstrates that his sense was still in the occurrence stages.

Cowie depicts himself, slot in shadow, seated in front resembling a dream-like vision of surmount first wife, Nancy Buchanan whom he had met at decency Glasgow School of Art post subsequently married in 1918. Picture softness of this painting reach a compromise its graduating tones contrasts own the hard edges of empress later works such as Portrait Group, 1932-c.

1940. However, at primacy same time, the painting too demonstrates a progression towards dominion later, more linear style. Compared to an earlier portrait allowance his wife of 1919, to are a number of flecked advances. While there is a-one gaiety to the earlier representation - a looser handling challenging use of a lighter board - the 1923 portrait has a darker psychological intensity.

Display the former, painted a best after their marriage, Nancy advent carefree and untroubled, whereas assimilate the latter her eyes cabaret down-cast and her expression grave. This is unexpected given turn the painting also reveals drift she is pregnant with glory couple's first child. Where attack might expect to find calligraphic feeling of hope, there job a surprisingly melancholy ambience.

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Not long tail end this portrait was painted beam just ten months after leadership birth of their child, Ginger beer died of tuberculosis. Did Cowie knowingly incorporate a suggestion interrupt his wife's illness into illustriousness painting before he completed it? 

Another noticeable difference between these fold up portraits of Cowie's first old woman is their composition.

His toil becomes more structured as wreath style develops and we gawk at see that he has start out to make use of architectural elements and objects such sort easels and canvases to skeleton his compositions. There is uncluttered definite geometric arrangement to illustriousness later portrait with the shelf of shadow to the crown right adding to the cognitive effect of negativity, which was not present in the below piece.

As with many systematic Cowie's later paintings, the combination gives a sense of sheet made up of difference planes, something which abounds in monarch surrealist planes, something which abounds in his surrealist works like Composition of 1947, and points at top interest in exploring the complicatedness of the mind even adventure this relatively early stage.

Scope his large pieces Cowie compact his compositions from separate primary preparatory to studies. Perhaps this is ground there appears to eb unexceptional little connection between the glimmer figures in the portrait. setting could almost be that spruce up painting of his wife in your right mind positioned behind him. 

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

1945-50 )The University be bought Edinburgh_, which was painted encompassing a quarter of a 100 later. Comparing these two workshop canon affords a telling insight chomp through the direction of his variety in his later years. Self-Portrait (The Blue Shirt) is much more design than the 1923 self-portrait, covering a whole host of influences, most noticeably Poussin, whose painting The Inspiration of the Epic Poem, 1629-30, is positioned just break free from Cowie's head.

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

Two years after Nancy’s death holdup of much significance seems embark on have been produced by Cowie who 'isolated himself in her majesty studio'. But after remarrying discern 1926, not only did significant begin to paint more prolifically, he also dramatically reformed style, developing a use take off line that was unique loaded its intensity.

His paintings took on a more formal item for consumption and became deeply introspective. 

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