James Cowie
A Portrait Group1933 / about 1940On Display | GALLERY OF MODERN ART
'A Portrait Group' was originally painted in 1933 and featured four pupils of Bellshill Academy near Glasgow, where Cowie taught until 1935. Cowie dramatically reworked the painting in about 1940 and changed almost every detail. Most notably, Cowie had portrayed a young girl in the foreground of the first version, but later changed her into a mature woman. The painting shows the linear form of realism that Cowie practised. There seems to be no psychological relationship between the sitters, as the artist often assembled large compositions from separate studies. He always began his portraits by painting an eye, believing that the eyes were the most intense and compelling part of the sitter.
Glossary [2] Show
Composition
The arrangement of different elements in a work of art.
Realism
Used generally for art that attempts to represent things as they appear. It specifically refers to a mid-19th century movement in France, led by Gustave Courbet, that rejected the sometimes obscure subject matter of academic painting in favour of more accessible scenes of everyday life.
- Accession no. GMA 1325
- Medium Oil on canvas
- Size 101.60 x 127.30 cm
- Credit Purchased 1975
James Cowie (Scottish, 1886 - 1956)
Born in Aberdeenshire, Cowie studied at Glasgow School of Art. He taught at Bellshill Academy, near Glasgow and later became Warden at Hospitalfield House, an art school near Arbroath. His style of painting was precise and linear. Cowie was an admirer of Poussin and the pre-raphaelite painters and believed in the classical values of self-restraint and objectivity. He had a meticulous way of working and believed that art was a product of thought and reason.
Glossary [3] Show
Classicism
A general term for art and architecture based on ancient Greek and Roman culture.
Hospitalfield House
Situated near Arbroath, Hospitalfield was built during the 13th century as a hospital to a nearby abbey. The house was remodelled in the 19th century by Patrick Allan-Fraser who left the house in trust for 'the promotion of Education in the Arts'. The gallery of the house has a large collection of paintings, sculpture and wood-carvings.
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
A group of mid-19th century English artists inspired by the simplicity of pre-Renaissance Italian art, the name meaning 'before Raphael'. They favoured a close observation of nature and rejected academic rules. They drew on literature for subject matter and were closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Members included John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.