The Glasgow Boys

Guthrie, Walton and George Henry (1853-1943) would all paint together out of doors, directly in front of nature. In the summer of 1881, they visited the Trossachs, but not to paint the magnificent highland landscape. Instead, they focussed on the everyday life and work of the people who lived on the land, adopting a more naturalistic approach. They wanted to do away with patronisingly romantic scenes of ‘noble peasants’ in dramatic (often tragic) circumstances, in favour of showing real people in their own environment. 

By the late 1880s several artists were beginning to take an interest in Impressionism, Celtic design and the brilliant colours and flattened forms of Japanese prints. Their work was characterised by bold, vigorous, painterly handling and an increasing emphasis on the decorative. Henry and Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) travelled to Japan in 1893-4, while Arthur Melville (1855-1904), who is closely associated with the group, preferred the colour and exoticism of Spain and North Africa. 

The group's most intense period was between 1880-1890, when some of their most bold and innovative paintings were created. This is essentially where modern painting in Scotland began, and their work freed subsequent generations of artists to explore colour and look beyond their own creative heritage. The decorative and design element in much of their work is echoed in the work of Celtic Revival artists, but perhaps their most enduring legacy was that Glasgow was now established as a serious and innovative artistic centre.