John Duncan (1866-1945) was a Scottish painter. Duncan was born in the Hilltown area of Dundee on 19 July 1866, the son of a butcher and cattleman. John, however, had no interest in the family business and preferred the visual arts.
By the age of 15 he was submitting cartoons to the local magazine "The Wizard of the North" and was later taken on as an assistant in the art department of the Dundee Advertiser. At the same time he was also a student at the Dundee School of Art, then based at the High School of Dundee.
In 1887-88 he worked in London as a commercial illustrator, then travelled to the continent to study at Antwerp Academy under Charles Verlat and the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
In 1889 Duncan returned to Dundee and exhibited in the new Victoria Art Galleries extension of the Albert Institute. The following year he became one of the founder members of the Dundee Graphic Arts Association (now Dundee Art Society).
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| John Duncan | Tristan and Isolde, 1912 |
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
Most of his income at this time was derived from portrait commissions, including jute merchant John L Luke and Mrs Hunter of Hilton.
In 1892 Duncan moved to Edinburgh to work with the sociologist, botanist and urbanist Patrick Geddes, whom he had met in Dundee. As part of the Celtic Revival movement, Duncan painted murals for Geddes's halls of residence at Ramsay Garden.
He also became the principal artist for Geddes' 1895-97 seasonal magazine "The Evergreen".
The magazine also featured work by Dundee artist Nell Baxter and the celebrated decorative artist Robert Burns.
Among other subjects, Duncan depicts "Bacchus and Silenus" in a mythical scene.
Duncan also acted as director of Geddes's short-lived Old Edinburgh School of Art, and was commissioned by him to design The Witches' Well, Edinburgh, in 1894.
In 1897 Duncan returned to Dundee and exhibited Celtic and symbolist paintings at the Graphic Arts Association as well as the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Glasgow Institute among others.
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
It was at this time that he painted The Glaive of Light now in the University of Dundee's collection. He continued to teach art and design, at the Dundee YMCA, the University and the art school at Dundee Technical Institute.
He also created Dundee's first design collective by gathering together a group of young talents who created and exhibited decorative art and design pieces for the Graphic Arts Association, including Nell Baxter, Rosa Baxter, Elizabeth Burt and Duncan's sister Jessie Westbrook.
Thanks to Patrick Geddes's influence, in 1900 Duncan was appointed as a Professor at the Chicago Institute founded by Francis Wayland Parker. His stay there was not a happy one, and after Parker's death in 1902 he returned to Scotland and settled in Edinburgh, where he would live for the rest of his life.
Duncan's last major work was entitled 'Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay' (dated 1929). The work was commissioned and is now held by the University of St Andrews.
The painting was completed in spite of the critical antagonisms Duncan was facing at the time. A smaller scale replica is held in the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle. | © Wikipedia
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
John Duncan (1866-1945) è stato un pittore Scozzese.
Duncan nacque nella zona di Hilltown a Dundee, figlio di un macellaio ed allevatore.
John, tuttavia, non aveva alcun interesse per l'azienda di famiglia e preferiva le arti visive.
All'età di 15 anni inviava vignette alla rivista locale "The Wizard of the North" ed in seguito fu assunto come assistente nel dipartimento artistico del Dundee Advertiser.
Allo stesso tempo è stato anche studente alla Dundee School of Art, allora con sede alla High School of Dundee.
Nel 1887-88 lavorò a Londra come illustratore commerciale, poi viaggiò nel continente per studiare all'Accademia di Anversa sotto Charles Verlat e all'Accademia d'arte di Düsseldorf.
Nel 1889 Duncan tornò a Dundee ed espose nella nuova estensione delle Victoria Art Galleries dell'Albert Institute.
L'anno successivo è diventato uno dei membri fondatori della Dundee Graphic Arts Association (ora Dundee Art Society).
.jpg "John Duncan 1866-1945 - Scottish Symbolist painter")
La maggior parte delle sue entrate in questo periodo proveniva da commissioni di ritratti, tra cui il mercante di iuta John L Luke e la signora Hunter di Hilton.
Nel 1892 Duncan si trasferì ad Edimburgo per lavorare con il sociologo, botanico e urbanista Patrick Geddes, che aveva incontrato a Dundee. Come parte del movimento di rinascita celtica, Duncan dipinse murales per le residenze di Geddes a Ramsay Garden.
Divenne anche l'artista principale per la rivista stagionale 1895-97 di Geddes "The Evergreen".
La rivista presentava anche opere dell'artista di Dundee Nell Baxter e del celebre artista decorativo Robert Burns.
Tra gli altri soggetti, Duncan raffigura "Bacco e Sileno" in una scena mitica.
Duncan fu anche direttore della Old Edinburgh School of Art di Geddes, e fu da lui incaricato di progettare The Witches' Well, Edimburgo, nel 1894.
Nel 1897 Duncan tornò a Dundee ed espose dipinti celtici e simbolisti alla Graphic Arts Association, alla Royal Scottish Academy ed al Royal Glasgow Institute, tra gli altri. Fu in quel momento che dipinse The Glaive of Light - ora nella collezione dell'Università di Dundee.
Ha continuato ad insegnare arte e design, al Dundee YMCA, all'Università ed alla scuola d'arte del Dundee Technical Institute.
Ha creato il primo collettivo di design di Dundee riunendo un gruppo di giovani talenti che hanno creato ed esposto pezzi di arte decorativa e design per la Graphic Arts Association, tra cui Nell Baxter, Rosa Baxter, Elizabeth Burt e la sorella di Duncan, Jessie Westbrook.
Grazie all'influenza di Patrick Geddes, nel 1900 Duncan fu nominato professore al Chicago Institute fondato da Francis Wayland Parker.
Il suo soggiorno non fu felice, e dopo la morte di Parker nel 1902 tornò in Scozia e si stabilì a Edimburgo, dove avrebbe vissuto per il resto della sua vita.
L'ultima opera importante di Duncan era intitolata "Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay" (datata 1929). Il lavoro è stato commissionato ed è ora tenuto dall'Università di St Andrews.
Il dipinto fu completato nonostante gli antagonismi critici che Duncan stava affrontando all'epoca. Una replica in scala più piccola è conservata al Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery di Carlisle. | © English Wikipedia
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