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Yellow clover
Mackintosh, Charles Rennie, born 1868 - died 1928 - Enlarge image
Yellow clover
- Object:
Watercolour
- Place of origin:
Lindisfarne, England (painted)
- Date:
1901 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Mackintosh, Charles Rennie, born 1868 - died 1928 (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Pencil and watercolour
- Credit Line:
Given by James Meldrum
- Museum number:
E.844-1968
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C, case MB2F, shelf SH30, box T33A
Object Type
Watercolour botanical studies such as this have a long history in European art, and by Mackintosh's day were a necessary part of the training of artists and designers. Meticulous drawings of plant forms and an understanding of their basic structure were an essential source of ideas for students of design and tested their drawing skills.
People
Mackintosh has almost a cult status as a Scottish architect and designer, and his work prefigured many developments in art and design throughout Europe in the 20th century. In his architectural work Mackintosh had used stylised patterns derived from a careful study of flowers and plants. He was a very skilled artist as well as an architect, and towards the end of his career concentrated only on painting. From 1901 he had made a collection of botanical studies of individual flowers and shrubs, usually sketched during holidays in England.
Subjects Depicted
Although often spare and linear, they have a powerful emotional appeal. Mackintosh took the traditional form of botanical drawing and modernised it.
