IN the late 1860s, when John Lavery ran away to Glasgow, he was so poor that he scavenged scraps of food from the streets and washed them in fountains. By the age of 32, he had won a gold medal at the Paris Salon and been commissioned to paint Queen Victoria. He would become a Society portraitist of international renown, whose cosmopolitan lifestyle echoed that of his patrons.
As Lavery scholar Kenneth McConkey has observed, it seems the artist lived more than one life. This is a theme of the new exhibition Prof McConkey has co-curated. 'Lavery. On Location' takes us from Ireland to California, encountering along the way Lavery the French naturalist, the Glasgow Boy, the Orientalist; Lavery the war artist and Irish mediator; Lavery the painter of portraits, landscapes and historical events; and Lavery the globetrotting observer of modern life.
It's an impressive trajectory for the son of a failed wine merchant from Catholic Belfast. Orphaned when he was three, Lavery lived on his uncle's Ulster farm until, aged 10, he was shipped off to Ayrshire to stay with another relation who ran a pawn shop. He escaped to Glasgow, where he shared dosshouse mattresses, ate at food depots and took menial jobs. Familiar only with gaudy lithographs, he became obsessed by drawing, for which he was given 'the first words of encouragement I had ever known'. He got an apprenticeship colouring photographs, attended classes at the Glasgow School of Art and, in about 1876, set himself up as an artist.
Lavery was pleased when his studio burnt down, as the insurance payment enabled him to pursue his studies in London and Paris. He later regretted that his lack of French hampered any chances of getting immersed in the Parisian art scene, although he claimed to have had a painting hung beside Manet's Bar at the Folie Bergères at the 1883 Paris Salon.
Denne historien er fra February 21, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 21, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
