Sir James Guthrie (10 June 1859 – 6 September 1930) was a Scottish

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, associated with the Glasgow Boys. He is best known in his own lifetime for his

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

ure, although today more generally regarded as a painter of Scottish Realism.

Early life and education

Statesmen of World War I by Sir James Guthrie

Guthrie was born in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowland ...

, the youngest son of the Rev. John Guthrie, a minister of the Evangelical Union church, and Anne Orr. He originally enrolled at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

to study

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, but in 1877 abandoned this in favour of painting. Unlike many of his contemporaries he did not study in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, being mostly self-taught, although he was mentored for a short time by James Drummond in Glasgow and then

John Pettie John Pettie (Edinburgh 17 March 1839 – 21 February 1893 Hastings) was a painter from Edinburgh who spent most of his career in London. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1866 and a full academician in 1874. As an enthusiastic am ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.Biography
("Helensburgh heroes") In 1879, he moved to London to study painting. during the summer he painted at rural locations, often Rosneath and Helensburgh but mostly at Cockburnspath. Guthrie spent some time with his friend Edward Arthur Walton living in

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...

in Chelsea

Career

Guthrie lived most of his life in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...

, since 1883 in

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ; sco, Co’path) is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way a long-distance footp ...

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

, where he painted some of his most important works, including ''A Hind's Daughter'' (1883), and ''Schoolmates'' (1884). He was strongly influenced by the French Realists, especially

Jules Bastien-Lepage Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement. His most famous work is his land ...

, and was associated with the Glasgow Boys. In 1888, he was elected an associate of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

, and a full member in 1892. In November 1902 he was unanimously elected to succeed Sir

George Reid Sir George Houston Reid, (25 February 1845 – 12 September 1918) was an Australian politician who led the Reid Government as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905, having previously been Premier of New South Wales fr ...

as RSA president, and he moved with his family from Glasgow to Edinburgh. In 1903, he was knighted. A member of

Glasgow Art Club Glasgow Art Club is a club for artists and lay members with an interest in the arts, that has become over the generations "a meeting place for artists, business leaders and academics".Abraham Bailey, 1st Baronet Sir Abraham Bailey, 1st Baronet (6 November 1864 – 10 August 1940), known as Abe Bailey, was a South African gold tycoon, politician, financier and cricketer. Early years Bailey's mother, Ann Drummond McEwan, was Scottish by birth while his ...

to paint a group portrait of 17 politicians and statesmen of Britain and its allies who held office during the First World War. The painting, ''

Statesmen of World War I ''Statesmen of World War I'' is an oil on canvas painting by Sir James Guthrie, completed in 1930, shortly before Guthrie's death. It was commissioned by South African financier Sir Abraham Bailey, 1st Baronet to commemorate the politicians a ...

'', was completed in 1930, shortly before Guthrie's death. The painting was donated to the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

. Guthrie's 17 preparatory oil studies were donated to

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

. In 1920, the King of Belgium conferred Guthrie with the Cross of Commander of the Order of the Crown. In 1921, he joined the newly-formed

Society of Graphic Art The Society of Graphic Art for Pornographique (renamed Society of Graphic Fine Art in 1984) is a British arts organisation established in 1999. History The Society of Graphic Art (SGA) was founded in 1999 by Frank Lewis Emanuel, whose idea it wa ...

, and exhibited with them in 1921.

Personal life and death

In the late 1880s Guthrie met Helen Newton Whitelaw, a wealthy widow at her family home, Rowmore, in

Rhu Rhu (; gd, An Rubha ) is a village and historic parish on the east shore of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The traditional spelling of its name was ''Row'', but it was changed in the 1920s so that outsiders would pronounce it cor ...

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Pe ...

. They married in 1897 and in 1899 their son Thomas Whitelaw Boyd Guthrie was born in Chelsea, London. On October 20, 1912 she died of cancer at the age of 52. Guthrie died in the house of his retiral in 1930. His grave in Rhu was designed by the architect Alexander Nisbet Paterson.

Work

Earl Haig painting by J Guthrie in Dundas House Edinburgh

By 1885, Guthrie was a reputable portrait painter and in later life he virtually abandoned other subjects. He was commissioned by many of the rich and famous of his day to paint their portraits. The list is quite impressive: * Herbert Henry Asquith (portrait and sketch study) Scottish National Portrait Gallery (archive) *

Arthur James Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the ...

(two portraits) Scottish National Portrait Gallery * Sir

Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1 ...

, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1905-08 * George Nicoll Barnes statesman, Scottish National Portrait Gallery (archive) * Sir Charles Barrie (1840-1912) Lord Provost of Dundee 1902-5, Dundee Art Gallery * Thomas Berwick (1753-1828) (based on an early portrait) * Sir

Robert Laird Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

prime minister of Canada, Scottish National Portrait Gallery archive * Gen.

Louis Botha Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer Wa ...

Scottish National Portrait Gallery * Sir John James Burnet * James Caldwell, county clerk of Renfrewshire, Paisley Art Gallery * James Coats, mill-owner of Coats Thread fame, Paisley Art Gallery * Sir

Joseph Cook Sir Joseph Cook, (7 December 1860 – 30 July 1947) was an Australian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1913 to 1914. He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1913 to 1917, after earlier servin ...

prime minister of Australia *

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

Marcus Dods (theologian) Marcus Dods (11 April 1834 – 26 April 1909) was a Scottish divine and controversial biblical scholar. He was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He served as Principal of New College, Edinburgh. Life He was born at Belford, Northu ...

(1834-1909)

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...

Fine Art Collection * Rev. Dr. Andrew Gardiner * Sir Frederick C. Gardiner (1855-1937), Glasgow Galleries archive * Sir

Eric Campbell Geddes Sir Eric Campbell Geddes (26 September 1875 – 22 June 1937) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. With a background in railways, he served as head of Military Transportation on the Western Front, with the rank of major-ge ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

, Scottish National Portrait Gallery (archive) * Sir John Gilmour (1876-1940) * Edward Grey (1862-1933) Britain's Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916 * Dr. Errol Guthrie (his brother?), Aberdeen Art Gallery * Field Marshal Haig (hanging in Dundas House), commissioned for his directorship of the Commercial Bank in 1923. * William Morris Hughes * Prof. William Jack (1834-1924), Professor of Mathematics,

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Hunterian Art Gallery The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology ...

, Glasgow. *

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law ( ; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now ...

(two portraits) one in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north b ...

, one in the

(archive) * Lt Arthur Leslie Hamilton of the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fus ...

d.1918, Glasgow Galleries archive * William Ferguson Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand * Sir Alfred Milner Scottish National Portrait Gallery (archive) *

Edward Patrick Morris Edward Patrick Morris, 1st Baron Morris (May 8, 1859 – October 24, 1935) was a Newfoundlander lawyer and Prime Minister of Newfoundland. Born in St. John's, the son of Edward Morris and Catherine Fitzgerald, he was educated at Saint Bonavent ...

Prime Minister of Newfoundland * Bailie Alexander Osborne * Sir George Paul (1839-1926) Deputy Keeper of the

Signet Library Signet may refer to: * Signet, Kenya, A subsidiary of the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), specifically set up to broadcast and distribute the DTT signals * Signet ring, a ring with a seal set into it, typically by leaving an impression in se ...

, Edinburgh * Sir Robert William Philip * Sir

Ganga Singh General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh, (13 October 1880 – 2 February 1943), was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner (in present-day Rajasthan, India) from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present in ...

Scottish National Portrait Gallery (archive) * Sir John Shearer * Sir William Turner * Archibald Stodart Walker * Rev. Alexander Whyte (1836-1921) Principal of New College, Edinburgh, Scottish National Portrait Gallery archive * James Younger (1856-1946) * George Lennox Watson

References

External links

* *

National Gallery of Scotland The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...