John 'Old Jock' Wilson (1774 in
Ayr
Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...
– 1855 in
Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a coastal 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, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...
) was a Scottish landscape and marine painter, president of the
Society of British Artists 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 Nasmyth (9 September 175810 April 1840) was a Scottish portrait and Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter, a pupil of Allan Ramsay (artist), Allan Ramsay. He also undertook several architectural commissions.
Biography
Nasmyth ...
. 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 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 in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. 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 ...
(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 Ayrshire Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Shiorrachd Inbhir Àir an Ear'') is the political body covering the East Ayrshire local authority created in 1995, comprising nine wards, each electing three of four local councillors through th ...
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 j ...
. 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.
See also
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John James Wilson
John James Wilson (1818–1875) was the son of John Wilson (painter), John Wilson who was a Scottish landscape and marine painter. The son exhibited similar works to his father's and from the same London address until 1847. Most were landscapes ...
(1818–1875) (Young Jock), son, also a painter
*
William John Wilson (1833–1909), grandson, theatre scene painter and manager.
References
External links
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1774 births
1855 deaths
Scottish landscape painters
British marine artists
18th-century Scottish painters
18th-century Scottish male artists
Scottish male painters
19th-century Scottish painters
Members of the Royal Society of British Artists
19th-century Scottish male artists
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