James Nairn
Encyclopedia
James MacLauchlan Nairn was a Glasgow
-born painter who (along with G. P. Nerli
) strongly influenced New Zealand
painting in the late 19th century. He believed in en plein air or painting outdoors.
Nairn studied at the Glasgow School of Art
for four years from 1879 before enrolling as a student at the Académie Julian
in Paris. During the 1880s Nairn exhibited work at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy and was associated with the Glasgow Boys - a group of Scottish artist interested in Impressionism.
Nairn emigrated from Glasgow to Dunedin
for his health in 1890. He moved to Wellington
in 1891, where he was appointed as an art instructor at the Wellington Technical School. He lectured on art and conducted classes for the study of the nude figure. He introduced Impressionism
of the Glasgow school to New Zealand and influenced other New Zealand artists such as Dorothy Kate Richmond
, Mabel Hill
and Mary Tripe.
Nairn’s Impressionist style is conveyed in his many paintings of Wellington harbour, especially in Wellington Harbour, 1894 where his visible brushstrokes capture the effect of the afternoon sun on the water. He painted this landscape en plein air to more truthfully capture the effect of light on water.
Nairn joined the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts soon after settling in Wellington and was elected to the Council from 1890 to 1903. He also formed the Wellington Art Club which met regularly at Nair's Pumpkin Cottage. The cottage became a gathering point for Wellington artists. Nairn's influence was felt throughout New Zealand as he regularly sent works for exhibition in other centres.
He married Ellen Smith on 17 March 1898 and they had two daughters, Mari Bhan and Ellen May Victoria.
He died at his home in Wellington on 22 February 1904 of a perforating bowel ulcer. He was 44.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
-born painter who (along with G. P. Nerli
G. P. Nerli
Girolamo Pieri Pecci Ballati Nerli, known more commonly as Girolamo Nerli was an Italian painter who worked and travelled in Australia and New Zealand in the late 19th century influencing Charles Conder and Frances Hodgkins and helping to move Australian and New Zealand art in new directions...
) strongly influenced New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
painting in the late 19th century. He believed in en plein air or painting outdoors.
Nairn studied at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
for four years from 1879 before enrolling as a student at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris. During the 1880s Nairn exhibited work at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy and was associated with the Glasgow Boys - a group of Scottish artist interested in Impressionism.
Nairn emigrated from Glasgow to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
for his health in 1890. He moved to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
in 1891, where he was appointed as an art instructor at the Wellington Technical School. He lectured on art and conducted classes for the study of the nude figure. He introduced Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
of the Glasgow school to New Zealand and influenced other New Zealand artists such as Dorothy Kate Richmond
Dorothy Kate Richmond
Dorothy Kate Richmond was a New Zealand painter noted for her watercolor paintings of natural plants and animals and panoramic landscapes.-Biography:...
, Mabel Hill
Mabel Hill
Mabel Hill was a New Zealand artist.She was born at Cox's Creek, Auckland, New Zealand, the youngest child of Charles Hill, a hatter, and his wife, Eliza Ann Hulbert. In 1875 the family including Mabel, her brother Alfred Hill and 7 other siblings moved to Wellington, New Zealand. Hill attended...
and Mary Tripe.
Nairn’s Impressionist style is conveyed in his many paintings of Wellington harbour, especially in Wellington Harbour, 1894 where his visible brushstrokes capture the effect of the afternoon sun on the water. He painted this landscape en plein air to more truthfully capture the effect of light on water.
Nairn joined the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts soon after settling in Wellington and was elected to the Council from 1890 to 1903. He also formed the Wellington Art Club which met regularly at Nair's Pumpkin Cottage. The cottage became a gathering point for Wellington artists. Nairn's influence was felt throughout New Zealand as he regularly sent works for exhibition in other centres.
He married Ellen Smith on 17 March 1898 and they had two daughters, Mari Bhan and Ellen May Victoria.
He died at his home in Wellington on 22 February 1904 of a perforating bowel ulcer. He was 44.