ART SUNDAY; Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Lochs and Oceans
Welcome
to Art Sunday, I shall be hosting Art Sunday this week and I hope I
manage to be a good host to every one. The title of this weeks theme is;
‘Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Lochs and Oceans’.
The vast majority of the worlds surface is covered with water and this
water has so often inspired great artists through out history to produce
some of their finest works. I hope you like this theme, it can be any work of art from any period in any country that fits into the general theme. I am looking forward to visiting your entries; please leave a link to your entry in the comments box.
Thank you for participating hope and I hope you enjoy this weeks Art Sunday.
My entry for this week is the Seascapes of William Mctaggart 1835 – 1910.
William McTaggart was one of the finest painters Scotland
has produced, an original genius of impressionism before it even had a
label. In his early years he taught himself drawing and painting, and at
the age of twelve he was able to earn extra money and delight friends
with his ability as a portrait painter. McTaggart was born of crofting
parents at Aros Farm, near Machrihanish, at the present day a farm
beside the East end of the airfield at Machrihanish. His parents were
Gaelic speaking and his mother was a granddaughter of the religious
poet, Duncan MacDougall. His parents are buried in Kilkenzie churchyard,
and in her later years his mother came back from Glasgow to live in Campbeltown.
At
the age of twelve William McTaggart was an apprenticed apothecary to
Dr. Buchanan of Campbeltown, who quickly recognised his ability and
encouraged him. When his apprenticeship was over William McTaggart took the bold step of sailing off to Glasgow with his savings, determined to make his living from painting. He was advised to enrol at the Trustees Academy, Edinburgh.
At the time McTaggart entered the school Robert Scott Lauder (1805 -
1809) was the director of Antique Life and Colour Studies. Between 1852
and 1860 painting by the Pre-Raphaelites Milais and Holman Hunt were
exhibited in Edinburgh
but, although excited by their naturalism, McTaggart moved to perfect a
truth of atmosphere by use of broken colour. David Fincham in the
introduction to the "McTaggart Centenary Exhibition 1955" in the Tate
Gallery writes "As early as 1875 McTaggart had invented a system of
impressionism different from but comparable to that of Sisley, Monet and
Renoir".
Although William McTaggart lived most of his working life in Edinburgh
and after 1889 at Lasswade, he returned nearly every year to Kintyre,
and places in this peninsula were the sites and inspiration of many of
his paintings completed in his studio during the winter. McTaggart and
his family came to Kilkerran, Campbeltown, for a holiday in 1870 - a
working holiday as he was always a very energetic painter. After 1870
nearly every summer found him and his family in Kintyre, at
Machrihanish, Tarbert, Carradale or Southend. His output was tremendous.
During the 1880's McTaggart painted a lot in watercolours. There are
many beautiful sketches of Kintyre, Glenramskill, Machrihanish,
Kildavie, Bonnie Coniglen, Pennyseorach Bay,
Southend, Dunaverty, Brunerican and many pictures of Carradale were
painted "on the spot." The summer visits of 1887 and 1888 were
completely given over to watercolours, some to be transformed into
larger compositions in oil in the studio. In 1892 McTaggart altered his
holidays to visit Kintyre in June instead of August and thereafter came
practically every year in this month till 1908. He found in the long
light days new effects of light to study. 1894 was a particularly busy
year for him and 1895 a particularly fine one for weather. 1894 was a
particularly busy year for him and 1895 a particularly fine one for
weather.
McTaggart
never missed a R.S.A. Exhibition between 1855 and 1895. He showed a
hundred and ninety pictures of which seventy two were portraits and
nineteen water-colours all exhibited after 1875. Hugh Cameron, a well
known critic, gave his opinion of McTaggart. 'It was pioneer work - he
put aside convention after convention in his consistent and purposeful
development towards the expression of the things in nature which
fascinated him." Another opinion was "Best open air painter in Britain."
In 1894 the "Art - Journal" of that year devoted an article to
McTaggart's work entitled "A Scottish Impressionist." William McTaggart
died peacefully in April 1910 and is buried in Newington Churchyard,
Edinburgh. His paintings even in reproduction are an inspitation and
delight
For me it is his seascapes that are so wonderful. I live next to the North East cost of Scotland. I walk these beaches almost every day. I
know the light here, that soft hazy light of a summer day. I know the
long summer days where it barley get dark. I know how the Hare (Scottish
word for sea mist) swirls in from no where and then swirl away again,
changing the light as it goes. I recognise the
dark green/grey crashing seas and I hear the screeching gulls echoing
above the howling winds and stormy seas. When I look at this mans
seascapes I know they can’t be any where in the world except here. That
is why he is maybe my favourite Scottish Painter of all time, because
his portrayal is so accurate. I just wish I could have found better and
bigger pictures of his work to show you.
jayaramanms wrote on Jul 14, '08
I
am sorry Loretta, I left this just by giving my link and without
commenting on your blog. It is great. The seascapes paintings by
William Mctaggart are really wonderful. His imagination and vision are
immaculate. I love the paintings. Your beautiful write up has added up
charm to the blog. Thank you for sharing. Mine is at - http://jayaramanms.multiply.com/journal/item/228
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forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 13, '08
I
am quite sure no one needs this link, we all know Lina has posted and
we have all visited, and what a very pleasant visit it was thank you
lina. But I am going to leave the link just in case any one else decides
to take the tour some time during the week, I should hate for any one
to miss this, it is far too good to miss.
http://wickedlyinnocent.multiply.com/journal/item/393/Art_Sunday_-_seas_rivers_lakes... |
forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 13, '08
Thank you for joining in nemo4un, hope you don't mind I've added your link for people to follow
http://nemo4sun.multiply.com/journal/item/111/art_sunday |
asolotraveler wrote on Jul 13, '08
magnificent sea works! thanks for the cooling breese...
here is my SUNDAY contribution >>> http://asolotraveler.multiply.com/journal/item/258/ART_SUNDAY |
aimlessjoys wrote on Jul 13, '08, edited on Jul 13, '08
How
powerful the ocean is & how well captured here! I'm submitting my
little adventure at the spring called Fontaine de Vaucluse, & a
surreal trip to the hot dusty Mississippi Delta, lol:
http://aimlessjoys.multiply.com/journal/item/163/A_Visit_to_Fontaine-de-Vaucluse |
vickiecollins wrote on Jul 12, '08
Very nice paintings....I am doing the Art Sunday theme this week, with a little of my orginal digital artwork.
http://vickiecollins.multiply.com/journal/item/401/Art_Sunday_Lakes_Rivers_Oceans_etc |
jayaramanms wrote on Jul 12, '08
Beautiful theme with many options. My blog on River Ganges of India is at - http://jayaramanms.multiply.com/journal/item/228. Request you, my friends and contact to see. Thanks.
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starfishred wrote on Jul 12, '08
starfishred said
http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/489/ART_SUBDAY-THE_SEA-GERICAULThere is mine and Multiply is nit behaving so I may do another one later. NOW THAT MULTIPLY IS BACK ON TRYCK HERE IS MY SECOND TOUR ENJOY http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/497/ART_SUNDAY_2-HAWAIIEN_ART
gericoult is back in full color
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lauritasita wrote on Jul 12, '08
What a lovely theme, and a beautiful post, Loretta ! Thanks for hosting ! Here's is my link for Art Sunday this weekend:
http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/784/Art_Sunday_071308_Seas_Rivers_Lakes_Lochs_and_Oceans |
wickedlyinnocent wrote on Jul 11, '08
Loretta,
what a brilliant blog on McTaggart's seascapes. This week's theme is so
interesting, I love the sea too, also rivers and lakes. Thanks for
hosting, I'm still not in good shape , I almost fall asleep at keyboard
and I'm clumsy, I drop things and typing takes longer than it used to.
I'll use my site to let everybody know you are hosting and the theme.
Thanks . Hugs.
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starfishred wrote on Jul 11, '08, edited on Jul 11, '08
http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/489/ART_SUBDAY-THE_SEA-GERICAULT
here is mine and Multiply is nit behaving so I may do another one later. NOW THAT MULTIPLY IS BACK ON TRYCK HERE IS MY SECOND TOUR ENJOY http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/497/ART_SUNDAY_2-HAWAIIEN_ART |
brendainmad wrote on Jul 11, '08
Beutiful
paintings and I think they're a good size. Nothing, of course, beats
seeing a painting in person and up close or as close as the museum
permits.
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starfishred wrote on Jul 11, '08
very very nice loretta and I will be back with mine later okay
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