John H. "Jock" Wilson (1774 in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

– 1855 in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

) was a Scottish landscape and marine painter, president of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

in 1827. Wilson was apprenticed at age thirteen to a decorator named John Norrie in Edinburgh and then received instruction in landscape painting from

Alexander Nasmyth Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants li ...

. For about two years Wilson lived in Montrose, where he painted landscapes and taught drawing. In 1798 he moved to London, where he painted scenery for

Astley's Amphitheatre Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring. It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theatr ...

and one or two other theatres. During 1807–1855 he exhibited 76 paintings at 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 addition he exhibited 144 paintings at the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

(BI) during the 1813–1854 period. In 1825 he won a premium of £100 from the BI for his painting titled ''The Battle of Trafalgar'', which was subsequently purchased by Lord Northwick. In 2010 the painting was accepted in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to

East Ayrshire Council East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

which displayed it locally at the Baird Institute in

Cumnock Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie just o ...

. Wilson was one of the founders of the Society of British Artists where he exhibited extensively throughout his working life. He was its president for the year 1827. In 1827 he was also elected an honorary member of the

Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Acade ...

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* * * 1774 births 1855 deaths Scottish landscape painters British marine artists 18th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 19th-century Scottish painters Members of the Royal Society of British Artists 19th-century Scottish male artists {{Scotland-painter-stub

See also

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