Edward Atkinson Hornel - Scottish Painter (1864-1933)

Werdi Mayıs 18, 2022

A typical terrace of Scottish houses in Kirkcudbright

The ruined castle of the MacLellan clan in Kirkcudbright.

In the early 15th century it is said there were no fewer than fourteen knights of the name MacLellan in the Galloway area.

and Hornel's house - front / rear

Hornel lived in an 18th century town house on the High Street in Kirkcudbright for 32 years until his death. He came from an old Kirkcudbright family, and became a leading member of the important group of Scottish artists known as the 'Glasgow Boys'. He settle in Kircudbright at the height of his fame, and by personal contact and reputation he attracted other artists to the town, and so he became the founder of the art colony there.

Whilst up in that corner of Scotland we decided to renew our acquaintance with his home and beautiful garden which backs onto the Dee estuary. The garden still contains flowers, and features designed by Hornel himself. The house has a wonderful upstairs gallery room filled with his paintings which then leads on down an open stairway to his large basement studio.

No photos in the house, but a glimpse of his studio with an unfinished painting sitting forlornly waiting on an easle. The studio has immediate access to the beautiful garden.

Bishop of Llandaff dahlias making a splash of red in the border - a touch of red in a painting is a technique employed by many artists

the border areas of the garden have a wonderful painterly quality to them

Over the wall at the bottom of the garden sits the Dee estuary

Hornel was born in Australia of Scottish parents, but was brought up and lived practically all of his life in Scotland. He was a great friend of the painter George Henry and they collaborated together on the painting The Druids Bringing in the Mistletoe - a procession of druidic priests bringing in the sacred mistletoe, pictured below.

In 1893 Hornel and Henry spent 18 months living in Japan where Hornel learned much about decorative design and spacing. He produced some of his finest work whilst in Japan which was a great success when he exhibited them in Glasgow on his return. However, he then returned to Kircudbright to paint children in fancy dress, figures in flower decked woods, and girls by the sea. He also visited Ceylon and Burma but this did not have the same inspirational effect as Japan.