Robert Burns (artist)

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Robert Burns, HRSA, RSW (1869–1941) was a Scottish painter, limner and designer. He was an early exponent of the Art Nouveau style in Scotland and an outstanding decorative artist.

Life

49 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh

Burns was born in

Hamilton. The family lived for a time at Rock House on the Calton Hill, in what had been the studio of David Octavius Hill. Robert was educated at the Royal High School and Dollar Academy.[1]

He moved to

industry
.

Burns was associated with

Fin de Siècle Scottish cultural revival. He contributed illustrations to all four volumes of The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal published by Patrick Geddes and Colleagues between 1895 and 1897.[4][5][6][7] His Natura Naturans, which appeared in The Book of Winter in 1895 is believed to have influenced Gustav Klimt's Fishblood (1898).[8]
He also designed costumes for Geddes' historical pageants.

Burns's most famous and complete designs were for the Crawford's

Tea Room (1926), which was located on Hanover Street[9] just off Princes Street
in Edinburgh.

Burns combined commercial work and teaching, becoming the Head of Drawing and Painting at the Edinburgh College of Art, where he taught from 1908 to 1919.[10] As well as working as a painter of both mythological and direct landscape themes, Burns was a passionate limner and drew many fine books, influenced by both the Kelmscott Press and the Book of Kells. His landscape paintings, mainly in watercolour, often depicted the Pentland Hills of Edinburgh, as well as the beaches of Iona. It was on Iona that Burns and his great friend and fellow artist William Caldwell Crawford, first met the poet and activist Janet Margaret Benson. Burns eventually became the godfather of two of their three children, Ruth and the Edinburgh composer Robert Crawford.

By the early 20th century Burns was already fairly successful, allowing him to purchase 49 Northumberland Street; a large Georgian town house in Edinburgh's New Town, where he converted the attic into a large studio space.[11]

Works

  • Diana and Her Nymphs
  • The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens
  • Sir Galahad
  • Waiting for the Ferry
  • The Window Seat
  • Adieu Schubert
  • Girl with Falcon
  • John Knox preaching in St Giles
  • Before the Looking Glass
  • Woman at her Toilet
  • Natura Naturans
  • This is the Book of the House that Jack Built
  • Diana and her Nymphs, mural painting from the Crawford's tearoom of Edinburgh, c. 1926
    Diana and her Nymphs, mural painting from the Crawford's tearoom of Edinburgh, c. 1926
  • The Song of Solomon: the Hunterian museum and art gallery at the University of Glasgow has a fine collection of plates from this work by Burns, with online images
  • The Kirkcudbright galleries artistsfootsteps website has images of pictures by Burns, plus biographical information.

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-9557244-3-5
  2. ^ Martin Andrew Forrest (1982), Robert Burns (1869–1941), in Michael Cuthbert (Ed.) (1982), On the Side of Life: Patrick Geddes 1854–1932), Edinburgh College of Art, p. 10
  3. ^ "Presidents and Secretaries". SSA Presidents and secretaries. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023..
  4. ^ The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal: The Book of Spring, Patrick Geddes and Colleagues, Edinburgh (1895)
  5. ^ The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal: The Book of Autumn. Patrick Geddes and Colleagues, Edinburgh (1895)
  6. ^ The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal: The Book of Summer, Patrick Geddes and Colleagues, Edinburgh (1896)
  7. ^ The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal: The Book of Winter, Patrick Geddes and Colleagues, Edinburgh (1896)
  8. ISBN 978-1-4744-3395-2
  9. ^ "Robert Burns (1869–1941)". Art UK. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Robert Burns – Artist – The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh". fasedinburgh.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  11. ^ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911–12
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