Patrick Nasmyth - Landscape with a Pond - WGA16443

Patrick Nasmyth, (7 January 1787 – 17 August 1831), 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 the eldest son of the artist

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 who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Life

Nasmyth was one of the eleven children of Barbara and Alexander Nasmyth of Edinburgh. His six sisters—

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, Barbara, Margaret, Elizabeth,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

— were notable artists whilst his younger brother,

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, was a prominent engineer who invented the

steam hammer A steam hammer, also called a drop hammer, is an industrial power hammer driven by steam that is used for tasks such as shaping forgings and driving piles. Typically the hammer is attached to a piston that slides within a fixed cylinder, but i ...

. J. C. B. Cooksey, ‘Nasmyth family (per. 1788–1884)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 14 May 2017
/ref> Nasmyth was born in

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 ...

and was named after his father's patron, Patrick Miller. He developed an affinity for art at an early age. He and his siblings were all given art lessons. His father was keen to see that they were independent. As a teenager Nasmyth lost the use of his right hand following an accident, forcing him to learn how to paint with his left. He also lost most of his hearing through illness. Much of Nasmyth's work, a great deal of which is undated, depicts his native Scotland, which he continued to paint even after moving to

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 1810. Like his father, he was heavily influenced by the Dutch masters of the 17th century, particularly

Meindert Hobbema Meindert Lubbertszoon Hobbema (bapt. 31 October 1638 – 7 December 1709) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of landscapes, specializing in views of woodland, although his most famous painting, ''The Avenue at Middelharnis'' (1689, National Galler ...

and

Jacob van Ruysdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (; 1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural ac ...

(a large number of works by both men were displayed in London galleries during Nasmyth's lifetime). Nasmyth died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

-like symptoms, which he contracted shortly after painting a scene just outside London.

References

*Irwin, David & Francina (1975). ''Scottish Painters at Home and Abroad, 1700-1900'' London, Faber & Faber, . *Nasmyth, James (2004). ''James Nasmyth Engineer An Autobiography'' London, Kessinger, .

External links

*
Paintings by Patrick Naysmith
(Artcyclopedia.com)
Patrick Naysmith
(TheFamousArtists.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nasmyth, Patrick 1787 births 1831 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Artists from Edinburgh Scottish male painters Scottish landscape painters Scottish watercolourists Deaths from pneumonia in England Sibling artists 19th-century Scottish male artists