Oscar Paterson (1863 – 1934) was a Scottish artist based 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 ...
, who specialised in
stained glass.
Work
Paterson's work has been described as "the epitome of the
Glasgow Style
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 ...
", and is still celebrated today. He is best known for his stained glass, although he also designed jewellery. His best known works include the Argyll Window in
Saint Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh (1896) and windows depicting both the nativity (Mayfield Church, 1912) and the Crucifixion (The Church of the Good Shepherd, Murrayfield). He designed windows for many other Scottish churches, as well as works for secular locations such as Westover Hall in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
and
Pollokshields Burgh Hall in Glasgow. His work was exhibited in the city on at least two separate occasions: in 1895 his "Designs for Leaded Glass" was shown and, in 1897, a "Jewel Casket" (in silver and enamel). The latter sold for £26. He was very unusual for the time in that he manufactured many of his own materials.
Early life
Paterson was born in the Glasgow
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...
area in 1863. His parents were Patrick Paterson and Agnes Ann Paterson M.S. Cruickshank. He opened a studio there in West Regent Street in 1889, after returning from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
where he was educated. While in London, he had begun to tutor in glass technology and he continued this after his move back to Glasgow. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he gave credit to his pupils and assistants where due. One of the most notable assistants to work in Paterson's studio was John Stark Melville, who attended 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 ...
in the 1881-2 session
His occupation is listed in the student registers as "Glass Painter", and it is likely that he continued to improve his skills at the School of Art while working under Paterson.
Style
Paterson's work is very evocative of the Glasgow Style which was beginning to develop at this time. It is likely that his work influenced other younger artists, who are now associated very much with the Glasgow art movement at the turn in the early years of the twentieth century. His consideration of the use of colour and images from nature and the wider world in which he lived is evident in his designs. These images are developed in the work of designers like
Jessie M. King
Jessie Marion King (20 March 1875 – 3 August 1949) was a Scottish illustrator known for her illustrated children's books. She also designed bookplates, jewellery and fabric, and painted pottery. King was one of the artists known as the Glas ...
and
E. A. Taylor. A similar regard is given to the use of colour, shape and space in the textile designs of Anne MacBeth and her later contemporaries.
Later life
Paterson continued to gain commissions even after his retirement in 1931. Today, his work can be seen in many churches including Saint Magnus' Cathedral
Kirkwall
Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland.
The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
and in specialist collections such as the
Huntarian Museum, Glasgow University.
Further reading
* Glasgow School of Art Archives, Student Register 1881-2, (Glasgow)
* Jude Burkhauser, ''Glasgow Girls, Women in Art and Design 1880-1920'', (1990, Edinburgh)
* Michael Donnelly, ''Scotland's Stained Glass'', (1997, Historic Scotland)
* Martin Harrison, ''Victorian Stained Glass'' (1980, Barrie and Jenkins)
* Charles Holme, (ed.), "Modern British Domestic Architecture and Decoration", in ''The Studio'', 1901 (London)
* ''The Studio'' magazine, 1898 (London)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paterson, Oscar
Glasgow School
Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art
1863 births
19th-century Scottish male artists
20th-century Scottish male artists
1934 deaths
People from Gorbals
Stained glass artists and manufacturers