Smith Art Gallery & Museum | Details | Waiting to Mount Guard

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Actions Displays	Waiting to Mount Guard Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number20892 TitleWaiting to Mount Guard Creator William. J. Kennedy (Artist)‎ DescriptionWaiting to Mount Guard was painted in 1890 by William Kennedy, one of a group of Scottish artists known as the Glasgow Boys. They shared a desire to break with the traditional, sentimental view of Scottish art favoured by the establishment and the Royal Scottish Academy. Instead, inspired by the naturalism of French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage and the work of American-born painter, James McNeill Whistler, they focused on portraying real people and scenes from real life. William Kennedy was born in Glasgow and studied first at Paisley School of Art, then for five years in the ateliers of Paris. He went on to keep a studio in Glasgow but spent a lot of time in Stirling, where the surrounding countryside provided inspiration for the kind of rural scenes favoured by the Glasgow Boys. Kennedy was also fascinated by military life. He grew a military-style moustache and was known affectionately as ‘Colonel.’ From his second studio at Stirling Castle, he was able to witness the world of the soldier at first hand. It was to be his inspiration for much of his career. This picture depicts the resident Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ‘Waiting to Mount Guard’ in front of the Chapel Royal at the Castle. Despite its masculine subject, this painting is infused with warmth and softness of colour. The flatter area in the foreground is a nod to the influence of Whistler; the dramatic play of light and dark caused by the sun echoes the work of fellow artist Arthur Melville. Kennedy and the other Glasgow Boys exhibited widely and became commercially successful. In later life they remained friends but were no longer seen as a group of pioneers - they in fact became well respected members of the established art world. Production placeStirling Production date 1890 Object namePainting, Oil Painting fine art MaterialOil/Canvas TechniquePainted Dimensions image Width: 610 mm image Height: 485 mm frame Width: 920 mm frame Height: 780 mm

Reproduction

Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number20892

TitleWaiting to Mount Guard

DescriptionWaiting to Mount Guard was painted in 1890 by William Kennedy, one of a group of Scottish artists known as the Glasgow Boys. They shared a desire to break with the traditional, sentimental view of Scottish art favoured by the establishment and the Royal Scottish Academy. Instead, inspired by the naturalism of French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage and the work of American-born painter, James McNeill Whistler, they focused on portraying real people and scenes from real life. William Kennedy was born in Glasgow and studied first at Paisley School of Art, then for five years in the ateliers of Paris. He went on to keep a studio in Glasgow but spent a lot of time in Stirling, where the surrounding countryside provided inspiration for the kind of rural scenes favoured by the Glasgow Boys. Kennedy was also fascinated by military life. He grew a military-style moustache and was known affectionately as ‘Colonel.’ From his second studio at Stirling Castle, he was able to witness the world of the soldier at first hand. It was to be his inspiration for much of his career. This picture depicts the resident Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ‘Waiting to Mount Guard’ in front of the Chapel Royal at the Castle. Despite its masculine subject, this painting is infused with warmth and softness of colour. The flatter area in the foreground is a nod to the influence of Whistler; the dramatic play of light and dark caused by the sun echoes the work of fellow artist Arthur Melville. Kennedy and the other Glasgow Boys exhibited widely and became commercially successful. In later life they remained friends but were no longer seen as a group of pioneers - they in fact became well respected members of the established art world.

Production placeStirling

Production date 1890

Object namePainting, Oil Painting

fine art

MaterialOil/Canvas

TechniquePainted

Dimensions

image Width: 610 mm
image Height: 485 mm
frame Width: 920 mm
frame Height: 780 mm