James Howie 1931-2011 ‘Landscapes’

James Howie, who died early in July, was one of the most important Scottish artists, who established a reputation in the London art world in the 1960s.   

He had established a well-deserved reputation as a successful British artist.   He was a prize-winner in the first John Moores’ exhibition in Liverpool in 1957 and, although he did not win the first prize, his painting was bought by John Moores himself. 

 

He was born in Dundee in 1931 and educated at Dundee’s Harris Academy.   From 1949 to 54, he studied painting and drawing at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.   In 1955, he was awarded a Royal Scottish Academy bursary in order to visit Paris.   From 1955 to 57, he did his National Service and this enabled him to study pottery at Liverpool College of Art.    From 1958 to 62, he lived mostly in Auchmithie, a fishing village on the Angus coastline north of Dundee, but, for a period, he also lived in London.    His work was featured in a BBC Monitor film directed by John Schlesinger, with a commentary by Hew Weldon.    From 1960 to 62, he live in Spain and on the island Formentera.  He then returned to Dundee in 1962 where he lectured in the art college but he did manage to satisfy his wanderlust by experiencing a four-month stay in Kingston, Jamaica in 1962. 

 

James Howie is the only Scottish artist to have been selected for both the John Moores exhibition and the Demarco Gallery’s ‘Open 100’ exhibition in 1967.    He had a number of successful shows at the New Art Centre and at Tooth’s Gallery.    In 1968, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Demarco Gallery.    He was one of the fifteen artists in the Demarco Gallery exhibition in Warsaw.    By this time in the sixties, his career was in the ascendancy and he was represented in the collections of such public institutions as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the Scottish Arts Council, Dundee Art Gallery and Glasgow University.   

 

John and Dorrie Martin became close friends and important patrons of his work and John Martin wrote perceptively about his work in 1968.   In the exhibition catalogue published by the Demarco Gallery, he wrote – ‘It must be obvious to anyone who has seem James Howie’s paintings that he is obsessed with the quality of light, and it is perhaps this preoccupation with recording in paint the mystery of light falling on an empty land/seascape, together with the symmetry of his compositions, which gives to his paintings their air of timelessness and serenity.   His technique of contrasting luminous glazes with occasional heavily textured impasto areas, his predilection for sombre colours (usually blues or ochres) and the subtle transition from one tone to another, contrive to give his work an almost ‘Old Master’ appearance (one is reminded of passages of Rembrandt and Turner).

 

From the 80s onward, James Howie benefitted from the patronage of Sandra Le Marchant and the Bruton Gallery in Somerset as a result of the Demarco Gallery exhibiting his work at the Bath Art Fair, and from Robert McDowell and Charlie MacLean.    He committed himself to the Demarco Gallery’s concept of ‘Edinburgh Arts’ and derived inspiration from the 1977 Edinburgh Arts expedition to Italy.

 

The Demarco European Art Foundation plans to show the John Schlesinger ‘Monitor’ film as part of its programme of exhibitions and related events at Summerhall during the last week of the Festival.

 

The Demarco European Art Foundation will present an exhibition at Summerhall which is inspired by the Foundation’s  Demarco Archives with particular relevance to its current exhibition in Brussels at The Scottish Government’s Scotland House.   The exhibition is entitled ‘Scotland in Europe: Europe in Scotland’ and is under the aegis of the Scottish Government and is curated by Sandy Moffat, the Royal Scottish Academician who has a well-deserved reputation in the international art world working with artists but with those who represent the world of Scottish literature.   The Demarco European Art Foundation’s exhibition at Summerhall is personified by the life and career of James Howie, a true avant-gardiste.   The Demarco European Art Foundation, in collaboration with Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance is paying homage to Tadeusz Kantor and his Cricot 2 Theatre Company with a production entitled ‘Traumatikon’.   The production came into being through a master-class conducted by Andrzej and Teresa Welminski.   I have used a large image from this master-class – ‘The Angel of Death Descending’.   At Craigcrook Castle, Edinburgh, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh, the Demarco Foundation is presenting an exhibition as an official part of the 2011 Venice Biennale.   The third related exhibition is entitled ‘Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys on The Road to Meikle Seggie’ at The Axolotl Gallery.

Dates:

August

Time:

12 noon - 5pm

Duration:

N/A

Price:

FREE

Venue:

Demarco Gallery - The War Memorial Gallery - Summerhall

Tickets:

Further Information:

Landscape by James Howie

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