Alexander Ignatius Roche (17 August 1861 – 10 March 1921) RSA NEAC RP was a Scottish artist in the late 19th century and an important figure in the "

Glasgow Boys The Glasgow School was a circle of influential artists and designers that began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to around 1910. Representative groups included The Four (also known as the Spook School ...

Life

He was born in the Gallowgate in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the son of a milliner, Alexander Roche. He attended St Mungo's Academy in

Bridgeton, Glasgow Bridgeton ( sco, Brigtoun, gd, Baile na Drochaid) is a district to the east of Glasgow city centre. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is bounded by Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north ...

. He originally trained as an architect, but then changed to art, studying at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, an ...

and, from 1881, at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Here he studied under

Gustave Boulanger Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (25 April 1824 – 22 September 1888) was a French figurative painter and academic artist and teacher known for his Classical and Orientalist subjects. Education and career The Néo-Grecs and the Prix de Rom ...

and

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ra ...

. In his time here he befriended William Kennedy,

John Lavery Sir John Lavery (20 March 1856 – 10 January 1941) was a Northern Irish painter best known for his portraits and wartime depictions. Life and career John Lavery was born in inner North Belfast, baptised at St Patrick's Church, Belfast an ...

, Thomas Millie Dow and William Stott. In the early 1880s he joined a colony of Scots artists in

Grez-sur-Loing Grez-sur-Loing (, literally ''Grez on Loing''; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally ''Grès in Gâtinais'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. Sights * The Church of Notre-Dame et Saint-Laurent ''(Church ...

south of Fontainebleau. On his return to Scotland in 1885 he joined with the

working on murals for the 1888 International Exhibition. In 1888 he travelled to Capriwhere he befriended Fabio Fabbi and

Harold Speed Harold Speed (11 February 1872 – 20 March 1957) was an English painting, painter in oil painting, oil and watercolor painting, watercolour of portraits, figures and historical subjects. He also wrote instructional books for artists that remain ...

. In following years he visited both Venice and Florence, and married an Italian girl on the latter trip. This marriage was short-lived and they separated. As both were Catholics there seems to have never been any divorce. In 1896 he moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh and began to distance himself from the

. His work drifted from largely landscape to largely portraits. In 1906 he remarried (possibly bigamously), to Jean Alexander, daughter of Robert Alexander. During this period they enjoyed the friendship of Joseph Crawhall. From 1907 until 1914 they lived at 8 Royal Terrace, on

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the cit ...

, a very prestigious property. Around 1910 a cerebral haemorrhage caused the loss of use of its right hand and he had to retrain to paint with the left. He died in Hailes Cottage, near the

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing near central Edinburgh, Scotland, and flows into the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The name ''Leith'' may be of Britt ...

in Slateford,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. He is buried in the Dean Cemetery in

near the north-east corner of the original cemetery.

Works

Roche exhibited in the Royal Scottish Academy from 1887 and in the Royal Academy from 1890-1919. *The Dominie’s Favourites (1885) *The Shepherdess (1890) *Head of a Young Girl (1890) Hunterian Art Gallery *Mrs Roberts (1895) *Group family portrait for

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

(c.1900) *Margaret (1900) Royal Scottish Academy *Lady Reid (d.1924), (1908) Aberdeen Art Gallery * Sir William Alexander Smith, founder of the Boys’ Brigade (c.1910) *River Ouse (1918)

Kelvingrove Art Gallery Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. It reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, h ...

*Le Chateau Gaillard, Hunterian Art Gallery *

Corfe Castle Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and commands a gap in the P ...

*Afternoon Sunshine,

St Monans ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

Kirk, Kirkcaldy Galleries *A Newhaven Fishwife, The Fleming Collection * Sir Robert Cranston *

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

, Fife *The Prison Gate,

Mogador Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

*The Old Fisherman,

Scottish National Gallery The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...

*Girl in a Red Hat *Self Portrait *The Red Lion Inn *Woodland and River *The Convict Ship, Hunterian Art Gallery *William Elphinstone Malcolm of Burnfoot (1907)

Langholm Town Hall Langholm Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in the ...

* Flora Clift Stevenson * Grez *Thomas Littlejohn Galbraith, Town ClerkPainting of Thomas Littlejohn Galbraith, Town Clerk (1858–1901)
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Awards and recognition

*Gold Medal,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

(1891) *Honourable Mention, Paris Salon, (1892) *Gold Medal,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

(1897) *Elected ARSA 1894 *Elected RSA 1900

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20140822102938/http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/r/artist/alexander-ignatius-roche/object/alexander-ignatius-roche-1861-1921-artist-self-portrait-pg-1185
Calton Gallery biography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Alexander Ignatius 1861 births 1921 deaths Artists from Glasgow Scottish artists People educated at St Mungo's Academy Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Burials at the Dean Cemetery Scottish expatriates in Italy Scottish expatriates in France

Life

Works

Awards and recognition

References

Further reading

External links