James Docharty (1829–1878) was a Scottish
landscape painter
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...
.
He was born at
Bonhill
Bonhill ( sco, B'nill; gd, Both an Uillt) is a town in the Vale of Leven area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is sited on the Eastern bank of the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven, on the opposite bank from the larger town of Alexa ...
, near
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
, in 1829. He first worked for his father as a designer of
calico
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
fabric.
Caw, Sir James Lewis, "Scottish painting, past and present, 1620-1908." Page 193. Retrieved November 13, 2011 Docharty did not turn to art till 1862. His works appeared at the
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
, the
Glasgow Institution, and the
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
. In 1876 failing health caused him to visit the Continent and the East. He did some promising sketches in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in 1876.
[ Docharty was elected an Associate of the ]Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
in 1877. He was the uncle of Alexander Brownlie Docharty, who was based at James' studio in 1885.[
]
Critical commentary
Critics said he used colour effectively, while his weak point was composition.
Armstrong, Walter "David Murray, A.R.A.," in The Magazine of Art, Cassell & Company, 1891. Pages398-399. Retrieved November 13, 2011 He depicted nature with realism.[
]
References
*
Scottish landscape painters
1829 births
1878 deaths
People from Bonhill
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