About this artwork
Subjects taken from middle-class life were favoured by the Glasgow Boys. This elegant crowd scene was drawn on a boat trip on the Firth of Clyde from Helensburgh. Unlike other steamboats, the ‘Ivanhoe’ did not serve alcohol, providing a more genteel experience. Guthrie explores the range of textures that can be created with pastel. The two women in the foreground are sketched lightly, while detail is added through touches of bright colour. Densely blended layers are used for the ship’s vent and funnel and the sea beyond.
Updated July 2022
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artist:Sir James Guthrie (1859 - 1930) Scottish
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title:On Board 'The Ivanhoe'
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date created:About 1890
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materials:Pastel on grey paper
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measurements:31.80 x 27.20 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Sir James Lewis Caw Bequest 1951
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accession number:D 4535
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gallery:
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subject:
Sir James Guthrie
Sir James Guthrie
Guthrie became one of the leading painters in the group of artists called the Glasgow Boys. His early works of rural subjects painted with broad square brush strokes show the strong influence of French painters such as Bastien-Lepage. Guthrie was born in Greenock and trained as a lawyer before...