William McTaggart, RSA, RSW (British, 1835-1910). Children playing by a cottage, near Campbeltown, 1864-1867. Oil on can...

Description

William McTaggart, RSA, RSW (British, 1835-1910)
Children playing by a cottage, near Campbeltown, 1864-1867
Oil on canvas
18-1/4 x 24-1/4 inches (46.4 x 61.6 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: W McTaggart / 1864/67

PROVENANCE:
Calton Gallery, Edinburgh;
Private collection, Eugene, Oregon, acquired from the above, 1992.

William McTaggart has come to be regarded as one of the most important Scottish artists of the nineteenth century, and a highly influential figure on the development of subsequent Scottish art. Like other landscapists before him, he adored the monumentality of his country's scenery and skies and recognized the expressive potential it held for him as a painter. However, in contrast to earlier artists, the style he ultimately adopted to express this passion is characterized by an unprecedented freedom of brushwork and a lighter, brighter palette which he used both for his oils and watercolors.

The son of a crofter (the Scottish term for a tenant farmer), McTaggart was born in the small village of Aros, near Campbeltown, the site of the scene in the present painting, located in Kintyre, a western peninsula of Scotland. McTaggart never lost his fascination for the windswept landscape and turbulent seas of his childhood home on the coast, and his mature canvases with their swift, uninhibited brushwork and stormy seas, seem to have been painted by the gusting wind itself. He profoundly influenced Robert Gemmell Hutchison (see lot 69108), to the extent that Hutchison often sought out some of the older artist's favorite painting haunts such as Macrihanish and Carnoustie as spots to create his own work.

McTaggart trained at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh but soon abandoned the academic approach of making art in the studio for painting outside. The present work of 1864-1867 dates from a period when McTaggart was still developing his own style and assimilating ideas from a variety of sources. The rich, jewel-like colors and rural subject matter bring to mind the work of Pre-Raphaelitism, particularly paintings by William Holman Hunt, Arthur Hughes and John and Thomas Faed. McTaggart was relatively unknown outside Scotland until the 1935 retrospective at the Tate Gallery, which won him much wider artistic recognition.


*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders. Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report. Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames. All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.