EDWIN JOHN ALEXANDER (1870-1926) 'Seagulls on an Estuary, Inveresk' 1906
- Messum's Studio
- Apr 21, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: May 17, 2023
Edwin Alexander (Scottish1870-1926) was one of the finest painters of birds and animals of his time and, perhaps, it was his natural calling as the son of the Victorian artist Robert Alexander (1840-1923) whose work occupies an exceptional place in Scottish animal painting.
However, it was not until a trip at the age of 17, that the young Edwin began to show interest in his own artistic abilities. In 1887 he accompanied his father and fellow painter Jospeh Crawhall (1861-1913) on a sketching trip to Tangiers in Morocco. Studying the animals in their natural habitat ‘en plein air’ proved to be the catalyst for the young Edwin and upon returning from this trip, he enrolled in the Royal Scottish Academy Schools and later studied in Paris.
Morocco had made such an impression on the young artist that he returned there and settled on the Nile, living in a house-boat from 1892. Here he learnt Arabic and made numerous watercolours of Bedouin encampments and animals, as well as desert landscapes and studies of grasses along the Nile.
In 1904 Edwin returned to Scotland to marry and moved to Edinburgh, later settling in Musselburgh, a small East Lothian town, five miles outside Edinburgh from which he made sketching trips and taught at the Edinburgh College of Art. He kept a menagerie of birds and animals which he studied and which formed the basis of much of his work. He found his subjects in the country around Musselburgh, Kirkcudbright and the Western Isles, capturing seabirds along the coast and estuaries. He was meticulous in his preparations for a painting and his interest in Japanese art led him to experiment with alternative materials such as sugar paper or fabric.
The tonal watercolour study ‘Seagulls on an Estuary, Inveresk’ which was painted on linen in 1906, is a particularly fine example of Alexander’s experimentations with different materials. The view is at the mouth of the River Esk, in Inveresk and displays a wonderful Whistlerian feel in soft light and grey tones. The frame is period to the picture in gold leaf.
Edwin Alexander exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, The Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours, the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water Colours. After suffering a stroke in 1917, he sadly produced little work thereafter.
To arrange an appointment to view this painting, please contact Messum's Studio on 01628 486565 or email info@messums.com
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