William Simson
Encyclopedia
William Simson was a Scottish
portrait, landscape and subject painter
.
in 1800. He studied under Andrew Wilson
at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh
, and his early pictures of landscape and marine subjects found quick sales. He then turned his attention to figure painting, producing the "Twelfth of August" in 1829, which was followed by "Sportsmen Regaling" and a "Highland Deer-stalker" in 1830.
In 1830 he was elected as a member of the Scottish Academy; and, having acquired some means by portrait-painting, he spent three years in Italy. On his return in 1838 he settled in London, where he exhibited his "Camaldolese monk showing Relics," his "Cimabue and Giotto," his "Dutch Family," and his "Columbus and his Child" at the Convent of Santa María de la Rábida.
Simson was most talented as a landscapist; his "Solway Moss Sunset," exhibited in the Royal Scottish Academy of 1831 and now in the National Gallery in Edinburgh, ranks as one of the finest examples of the early Scottish school of landscape. His elder brother George (1791-1862), a portrait-painter, was also a member of the Royal Scottish Academy, and his younger brother David (d. 1874) practised as a landscape-painter.
He died in London on the 29th of August 1847.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
portrait, landscape and subject painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Biography
Simson was born at DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in 1800. He studied under Andrew Wilson
Andrew Wilson (artist)
Andrew Wilson was a Scottish landscape-painter.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, he came of an old Jacobite family. His father was Archibald Wilson, and his mother Elizabeth Shields. When quite young he began to study art under Alexander Nasmyth, and then, at the age of seventeen, went to London, where he...
at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and his early pictures of landscape and marine subjects found quick sales. He then turned his attention to figure painting, producing the "Twelfth of August" in 1829, which was followed by "Sportsmen Regaling" and a "Highland Deer-stalker" in 1830.
In 1830 he was elected as a member of the Scottish Academy; and, having acquired some means by portrait-painting, he spent three years in Italy. On his return in 1838 he settled in London, where he exhibited his "Camaldolese monk showing Relics," his "Cimabue and Giotto," his "Dutch Family," and his "Columbus and his Child" at the Convent of Santa María de la Rábida.
Simson was most talented as a landscapist; his "Solway Moss Sunset," exhibited in the Royal Scottish Academy of 1831 and now in the National Gallery in Edinburgh, ranks as one of the finest examples of the early Scottish school of landscape. His elder brother George (1791-1862), a portrait-painter, was also a member of the Royal Scottish Academy, and his younger brother David (d. 1874) practised as a landscape-painter.
He died in London on the 29th of August 1847.
See also
- Robert Scott LauderRobert Scott LauderRobert Scott Lauder was a Scottish mid-Victorian artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy.-Life and work:...
.