On Thursday 17th October 2024 a few members of the Art Appreciation Group visited the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh to see an exhibition of paintings by the Irish impressionist, John Lavery. There were lots of paintings by this man and the exhibition was extensive but really enjoyable.
A wee snippet of the man:
John Lavery was born North Belfast on 20 March 1856 While still a child, he moved to Scotland where in 1878, he set up his own studio which was razed in a fire in the following year. With a £300 insurance pay-out, he spent a year studying at Heatherley's School in London. Lavery continued his studies at the Académie Julian in Paris in the early 1880s.
He returned to Glasgow and was associated with the Glasgow School. William Burrell, a wealthy shipowner, was a faithful patron of Scottish artists including Joseph Crawhall II, with whom Lavery studied. In 1888, he was commissioned to paint the state visit of Queen Victoria to the Glasgow International Exhibition. This launched his career as a society painter and he moved to London soon after.
