James Guthrie painted Schoolmates in Cockburnspath, the Scottish village where he lived from 1883 onwards. He lived among the villagers, and their rural lifestyle became the subject of his paintings. In keeping with the naturalistic style of the times Guthrie avoided anecdote in his work and observed his surroundings in a manner that was very down-to-earth. The depiction exudes a natural simplicity in which the children bear their poverty proudly and with spirit. They stare straight ahead and have no contact with one another. Their individual isolation is further emphasised by their portrayal in profile. The daily journey to and from school therefore becomes something of a ritual. The children’s clothing, the country lane and the landscape are all painted very loosely, while the faces are depicted realistically and with a photographic attention to detail.
| Artist |
James Guthrie
RKD
|
|---|---|
| Title | Schoolmates |
| Date | ca. 1884 |
| Period | 19th century |
| Location | Cockburnspath TGN |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signatures (names) bottom left: JAMES GUTHRIE |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 1892-B |
| Acquisition credit |
purchase
salon Ghent 1892 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1892-B |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/79/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300015636
landscapes
AAT
300189808 figures (representations) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
25G11
groups of trees
Iconclass
25G3 trees Iconclass 25G31 shrubs Iconclass 25H1 landscapes in the temperate zone Iconclass 25H153 bush, shrubs ~ forest Iconclass 25H17 meadow, pasture Iconclass 25I2 village Iconclass 25I3 farm or solitary house in landscape Iconclass 300015636 landscapes AAT 31D112 child Iconclass 31D11221 boy (child between toddler and youth) Iconclass 31D11222 girl (child between toddler and youth) Iconclass 31D120 Youth, Adolescence, 'Iuventus'; 'Adolescenza', 'Gioventu' (Ripa) Iconclass 31D130 Maidenhood Iconclass 41A17 farm (building) Iconclass 41A776 container of leather: leather bag Iconclass 41D221(CAP) head-gear: cap Iconclass 41D2321 apron Iconclass 41D2332 shoes, sandals Iconclass 41D268(SCHOOL BAG) bag (SCHOOL BAG) Iconclass 46A222 rural life Iconclass 46C11 road, path Iconclass 49B21 going to school Iconclass 49B22 returning home from school Iconclass 49L6453 slate (writing material) Iconclass 55BB1 Poverty; 'Poverta', 'Poverta del doni', 'Poverta in uno ch'habbia bell'ingegno' (Ripa) Iconclass 61D(GREAT BRITAIN) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (GREAT BRITAIN) Iconclass 61D(SCOTLAND) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (SCOTLAND) Iconclass |
| School / Style | naturalism (artistic form of expression) AAT |
| Catalogus van het Museum van Schoone Kunsten Gent : II: Moderne Meesters / Georges Chabot, Fritz Van Loo. - Gent : Ad. Hoste, 1932 (p. 76-77) |
| James Guthrie (Fonds Richard de Moor). - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] |
| De vrienden van Scribe : De Europese smaak van een Gents mecenas (tentoonstelling Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 12 december 1998 - 14 maart 1999) / Monique Tahon-Vanroose, Robert Hoozee. - Gent : Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon, 1998 ; Antwerpen : Pandora, 1998 (p. 75, 77 (ill.), 184 (ill.)) |
| 200 jaar verzamelen : Collectieboek Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent / Arnout Balis, Robert Hoozee, Maximiliaan P.J. Martens, Paul Van Haute. - Gent : Ludion, 2000 (p. (ill. 93), 269) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. II, p. 177 (ill.)) |
| The Glasgow Boys : Schots impressionisme 1880-1900 (tentoonstelling Assen, Drents Museum, 22.09.2015 - 07.02.2016) / Willemijn Lindenhovius, Roger Billcliffe, Frances Fowle, Kenneth McConkey. - Assen : Drents Museum, 2015 ; Zwolle : WBOOKS, 2015 (p. 27) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : De collectie (tentoonstelling vanaf 21 maart 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2021 |
| Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand : La Collection (exposition dès le 21 mars 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, 2021 |
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