Ernest Archibald Taylor (5 September 1874 – November, 1951), better known as E A Taylor, was a Scottish artist, an oil painter, watercolourist and etcher, and a designer of furniture, interiors and stained glass.

Life

Taylor was born in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, in 1874, the fifteenth of seventeen children of an army major. Initially apprenticed in the

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 ...

shipbuilding industry on the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

, he trained as an artist 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, and ...

, where he met and married Jessie M. King in 1908. They moved to Salford, where he designed for George Wragge Ltd, producing many designs for stained-glass windows, including domestic work for the Scottish engineer Sir William Arrol at Seafield House in Ayr. Between 1911 and 1914 the Taylors lived in Paris where they established an art school – the Shearling Atelier. The influence of modern French art and the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

can be seen in Taylor's art: his style broadened and he began to make more use of dramatic outlines. On their return to Scotland at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Taylor and King settled at The Greengate in the High Street in

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of C ...

, where S J Peploe was a frequent visitor. They established a summer school at High Corrie on the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...

, as well as locally in Kirkcudbright. Taylor's work, like that of his wife, became more powerful and dramatic during their time in

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

, closer in style to the Scottish Colourists. A number of Taylor's paintings are in public collections, including Glasgow Museums.''Isle of Whithorn'' by Ernest Archibald Taylor
BBC - Your Paintings. Retrieved 2014-01-09. The_Greengage,_High_Street,_Kirkcudbright,_Scotland

The_Greengage,_High_Street,_Kirkcudbright,_Scotland

Style

His early watercolours are delicate and original in design. His watercolour work from around 1900–10 invoked a successful balance between Naturalism (arts) and stylisation. During these years he often painted on Arran, whilst working for the Glasgow cabinetmakers Wylie and Lochhead. His oils, painted in broad brushstrokes, depict the rugged landscape of the Western Highlands, often with a white croft set against a dark rock face.

References

External links

Artists Footsteps websiteEA Taylor's biography & artwork from the Permanent Collection of the Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries, Scotland
biography & virtual representation of EA Taylor's artwork of Gracefield Arts Centre at exploreart.co.uk
The Kirkcudbright SchoolTaylor's biography and works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, E. A. 1874 births 1951 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 20th-century Scottish painters Artists from Greenock Scottish designers British furniture designers Scottish stained glass artists and manufacturers Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Glasgow School 19th-century Scottish male artists 20th-century Scottish male artists