![John Quinton Pringle (self portrait) c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/John_Quinton_Pringle_%28self_portrait%29_c.1895.jpg)
John Quinton Pringle (13 December 1864 – 25 April 1925) was a Scottish painter, influenced by
Jules Bastien-Lepage
Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement.
His most famous work is his lan ...
and associated with 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 ...
.
Early life
![Boy in a Blue Hat by John Quinton Pringle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Boy_in_a_Blue_Hat_by_John_Quinton_Pringle.JPG)
Pringle was born the son of a railway employee in
Dennistoun
Dennistoun is a mostly residential district in Glasgow, Scotland, located north of the River Clyde and in the city's east end, about east of the city centre. Since 2017 it has formed the core of a Dennistoun ward under Glasgow City Council, ...
,
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 ...
. Though the family moved for a short time (1869 to 1874) to
Langbank
Langbank is a village on the south bank of the River Clyde in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is 9.3 miles/15 km northwest from Paisley (Renfrewshire) and 3.4 miles/5.5 km east from Port Glasgow (Inverclyde) on the A8.
History
Langbank ev ...
in nearby
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...
(where his father had been appointed stationmaster), John received his education in Glasgow and later lived for some time in Maukinfauld Road,
Tollcross.
He left school in 1876 and was apprenticed to an optical repairman. Twenty years later he set up in business on his own, offering optical and electrical repairs in his shop in No. 90 Saltmarket, near Glasgow Cross. It was a famously chaotically run shop, but Pringle kept it running as a business (albeit a sideline from his real love) for over 20 years.
Meanwhile, he pursued a vocation in painting. Pringle attended evening and Saturday morning classes (at the same time as
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdo ...
) between 1883 and 1888. In 1901 he won a gold medal for life drawing at the South Kensington national competition.
Life as a painter
Pringle left about 100 works. Many are small scale oil on canvas, with subjects often including his family, friends, backcourts or local surroundings. He did not paint in oils between 1911 and 1921. Pringle visited
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in 1910 and spent a couple of summers on the
Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
island of Whalsay, (where he stayed with the local doctor, W.G. Wilson). In both cases he produced a range of sea or landscapes, often experimenting with painterly effects. Later he produced portraits (often miniatures) on commission, some of which are in the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Pringle was influenced by the French painter
Jules Bastien-Lepage
Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement.
His most famous work is his lan ...
, whose paintings had been exhibited in Glasgow, along with those of other French painters, during the 1880s. He was most obviously influenced in technique, though the interest local subjects are another shared concern. In later works he used paint dissolved in turpentine and applied this in short strokes using a square brush. His palette in any one painting was limited but intense - his technique often giving a luminous or shimmering effect.
He exhibited at the
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
Secessionist Exhibition of 1902 and in the
Whitechapel Art Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, in 1914.
A ''Centenary Exhibition'' was held by ''Kelvingrove Art Gallery'',
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 ...
in 1964.
Pringle died in
East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...
on 25 April 1925. He is buried in Sandymount,
Shettleston
Shettleston ( sco, Shuttlestoun, gd, Baile Nighean Sheadna) is a district in the east end of Glasgow in Scotland.
Toponymy
The origin of the name 'Shettleston' is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a multi ...
, in the east end of
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 ...
.
Paintings
![John Quinton Pringle - Still Life with the Head of Dante](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/John_Quinton_Pringle_-_Still_Life_with_the_Head_of_Dante.jpg)
* "''Greenock''", watercolour, (1886), sold by McTears 20.09.02
*"''Parkheid''", oil on canvas, (c. 1886), sold by Sotheby's March 2006
*"''Self Portrait''", oil on canvas, (c. 1886), Kelvingrove Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Backcourt, Bartholomew Street''", oil on canvas, (1887),
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
*“''Tarbet Loch Fyne''", watercolour, (1888), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 ...
*“''Children at a burn''" (1889), oil on canvas, Tate Britain,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
*"''Repairing the bicycle''" (the artist’ younger brother, ''Barclay Pringle''), oil on canvas, (c. 1889), Kelvingrove Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Portrait of the artist’s elder brother, Christopher Nisbet Pringle''” (c. 1890), oil on canvas, Tate Britain,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
*"''View from the artist’s window in Maukinfauld Road''", oil on canvas, (c. 1890), Kelvingrove Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Muslin Street''", (1896), oil on canvas, City Art Centre
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
*"''Mrs Newberry and Daughter''", oil on canvas, (1902), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Bosham''", Watercolour, (1903), Tate Britain
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
*"''Man with a tobacco pouch''" oil on canvas, (1903), sold by The
Leicester Galleries
Leicester Galleries was an art gallery located in London from 1902 to 1977 that held exhibitions of modern British, French and international artists' works. Its name was acquired in 1984 by Peter Nahum, who operates "Peter Nahum at the Leiceste ...
2006
*"''Two figures on a fence''" oil on canvas (1904), Kelvingrove Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Girls at play''", oil on canvas, (c. 1905), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Poultry Yard, Gartcosh''", oil on canvas, (1906), National Galleries of Scotland,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
*"''Tollcross, Glasgow''", oil on canvas, (1908), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Portrait of a boy, bust length, wearing a grey suit and a pink cravat in a summer landscape.''", (1910), Allposter.com
*"''Caudebec''" oil on canvas, (1910), Kelvingrove Art Galleries,
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 ...
*"''Mrs Helen Meldrum''", black chalk drawing, (1923), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 ...
*"''Mrs Helen Meldrum''", oil on canvas, (1924), Hunterian Art Gallery,
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 Window''" (1924), oil on canvas, Tate Britain,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Bibliography
* ''Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford, (2004)
* ''John Q Pringle 1864-1925-a centenary exhibition'' (the catalogue) by J Meldrum and A Auld, Glasgow Art Galleries and Museums (1964)
* ''Scottish Arts Council Exhibition Catalogue'' (1981) by J Meldrum and D Brown
External links
*
images of ''Children at a burn, Portrait of the Artist’s elder brother, The Window''Explorerat aagm.co.uk (image of ''Curing Station, Whalsay'')
at en.easyart.com
''John Quinton Pringle Website''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pringle, John Quinton
1864 births
1925 deaths
19th-century Scottish painters
Scottish male painters
20th-century Scottish painters
Glasgow School
Artists from Glasgow
19th-century Scottish male artists
20th-century Scottish male artists