The Glasgow Boys
Later, in the 1880s and 1890s, the adjective ‘impressionist’ was frequently used to describe a group of artists working in and around Glasgow and known as the Glasgow ‘Boys’. They included, among others, James Guthrie and John Lavery.
Following the example of the French Impressionists the Glasgow Boys began to paint contemporary urban subjects, recording the leisure pursuits of the upper middle classes. In 1885, Lavery produced a whole series of images inspired by the social rituals associated with tennis, culminating in his masterpiece of modern life painting, The Tennis Party.
Likewise, in 1890, James Guthrie produced a large group of pastels recording tea parties and tennis matches. With their emphasis on light and fleeting atmospheric effects, they were the first truly ‘impressionist’ works that Guthrie had created.
