The ‘Kirkcudbright School,’ as the group became known, was composed of local and visiting artists. The work produced by members of the Kirkcudbright School echo the light and airy atmosphere of the town, exuding the feelings of tranquillity and leisure that were pervasive in the countryside. Lyon & Turnbull Auction House in Edinburgh are delighted to present a fine selection of works by members of the Kirkcudbright School in a forthcoming Scottish Paintings & Sculpture auction taking place this December.
Settled amongst the pastoral hills and lush valleys of the Galloway landscape, Kirkcudbright was a refreshing change from the booming industrialisation of late nineteenth-century cities. Artists were drawn to the town’s charming historic buildings and the enchanting woodlands of the region. The mild climate of the Galloway countryside encouraged flowering foliage and artists were challenged to capture the changing colours of the landscape throughout the seasons. This attractive little town, situated at the mouth of the River Dee on the north Solway shore, quickly blossomed into an artists’ colony.
LOT 59 | EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) | JAPANESE GIRL WITH PEACHES
Signed and dated 1930, oil on canvas | 51cm x 41cm (20in x 16in) | £4,000 – £6,000 + fees
The ‘Kirkcudbright School,’ as the group became known, was composed of both local and visiting artists, including William MacDonald, E.A. Taylor, Chris Fergusson and William Mouncey – artists whose works are offered in this sale. This ‘School’ of artists were all united under the leadership of Kirkcudbright native E.A. Hornel.
After studying art in Edinburgh at the Trustees Academy and then in Antwerp under Charles Verlat, Hornel returned to his home in Kirkcudbright in 1885 and began to paint the nature and inhabitants of the surrounding Galloway landscape. Lyon & Turnbull is delighted to offer a selection of works from this leader of the Kirkcudbright School. Japanese Girl with Peaches, inspired by his trip to Japan in 1893, shows Hornel’s concern with colour harmonies and texture, while his scenes of young girls in forest and seashore settings showcase his experimentation with form and an emphasis on subject matter. Hornel’s rich, playful colour palette and dappling light are echoed in the works of his Kirkcudbright contemporaries.
LOT 69 | WILLIAM MOUNCEY (SCOTTISH 1852-1901) | CATTLE GRAZING IN A WOODED LANDSCAPE
Signed, oil on canvas | 41cm x 51cm (16in x 20in) | £600 – £800 + fees
William Mouncey, a Kirkcudbright native, was advised by Hornel early in his career and spent most of his life in and around the town, capturing the essence of the coast and countryside on his canvases. Mouncey’s textured, dappling light, combined with the livestock and rural setting in Cattle Grazing in a Wooded Landscape is the epitome of a classic Kirkcudbright School scene. In this singular work, one can see the pervading style of the School and the artists’ collective affinity for light, colour, and admiration for the local landscape.
LOT 62 | § CHRISTIAN JANE FERGUSSON (SCOTTISH 1876-1957) | HOUSE OF THE ABBOT, NEW ABBEY
Signed, watercolour | 31cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) | £600 – £800 + fees
Drawing inspiration from across the region, E.A. Taylor and Christian Jane Fergusson worked in watercolour to recreate the quaint streets and historic buildings of Kirkcudbright and the surrounding towns. Several fine examples of these watercolours are offered here in our Scottish Paintings sale. Both artists employ line and colour to capture the character of the buildings. It is so easy to be distracted by the charm and calm of the setting, that one barely notices the lack of people.
LOT 61 | § ERNEST ARCHIBALD TAYLOR (SCOTTISH 1874-1951) | THE OLD TOLLBOOTH KIRKCUDBRIGHT
Signed, pencil and watercolour | 38cm x 30.5cm (15in x 12in) | £800 – £1,200 + fees
Provenance: Collection of Dugald McTaggart Lindsay.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, artists gathered in these colonies to escape the pressures and restrictions imposed by art academies and urban life. Towns like Kirkcudbright promoted a more simple and tranquil lifestyle, untouched by the ‘corrupted morals’ of the cities, and allowed artists the freedom to experiment with their style, technique, and subject matter. Because the Victorians regarded the dirty and densely populated industrial cities as hubs of immoral activities, there was a growing desire to move back to nature and the leisure and purity of rural life, which they found through these towns in the countryside.
LOT 60 | EDWARD ATKINSON HORNEL (SCOTTISH 1864-1933) | GATHERING BLUE-BELLS BRIGHOUSE BAY
Signed and dated 1918, oil on canvas | 51cm x 61cm (20in x 24in) | £7,000 – £10,000 + fees
The work produced by members of the Kirkcudbright School echo the light and airy atmosphere of the town, and exude the feelings of tranquillity and leisure that were pervasive in the countryside. We are delighted to present a fine selection of works by members of the Kirkcudbright school in our forthcoming Scottish Paintings & Sculpture auction taking place this December.
Auction Information
SCOTTISH PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE
Friday 4th December 2020
Live Online | Viewing in Edinburgh
Sir William Russell Flint: A Private Collection
Lots 1 to 24 at 2pm
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Lots 25 to 118 at 3pm | Lots 119 to 223 at 6pm
Viewing by appointment in Edinburgh from 28th November to 4th December
