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 GuthrieRKD |
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Title | Schoolmates |
Date | ca. 1884 |
Period | 19th century |
Location | CockburnspathTGN |
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signatures (names) bottom left: JAMES GUTHRIE |
Collection | paintingsAAT |
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 |