The work of Alexander Nasmyth is characterized by the personal experience of two revolutionary developments. On the one hand, Nasmyth had to assert himself as a bourgeois upstart in a society still dominated by the aristocracy, on the other hand the close observer of his environment perceived changes that later defined an epochal threshold as the industrial revolution. Art and religion were two areas in which the class barriers of the 18th century were more permeable than usual. For the talented boy from poor circumstances, there was initially nothing to suggest that he would get a chance. Alexander Nasmyth started an apprenticeship as a carriage maker after attending compulsory primary school. There he was assigned the task of decorating the carriages made for the aristocratic and middle-class elite with heraldic paintings. At the age of 16 he and his painting works caught the attention of the Scottish painter Allan Ramsey during a journey. Ramsey was so enthusiastic that he took the boy to his studio in London and offered him the opportunity for an artistic education. After completing his training, Nasmyth worked in a field of painting which, with the right talent, opened up the prospect of a sufficient regular income. Nasmyth specialized in portrait painting, in which he soon made a name for himself and won renowned patrons from the Scottish elite. This eventually enabled Nasmyth to embark on what was for an artist a classic journey to Italy to study the sites of antiquity and the masters of the Renaissance.
With the opening of his own painting school, Nasmyth established himself in Scottish society. As a teacher he influenced a generation of 19th century Scottish painters, such as William Leighton Leitch and David Roberts. The income of the flourishing painting school, guaranteed a middle-class lifestyle. However, his openly communicated liberal attitude became his undoing. His career as a portrait painter ended abruptly after some unpopular political statements. His noble patrons withdrew and Nasmyth no longer received portrait commissions. What was existentially a catastrophe turned out to be a stroke of luck for the artist Nasmyth. He devoted himself to his second great artistic passion, landscape painting. Here he became the founder of Scottish landscape painting and the admired model of a generation of artists. For material reasons, Nasmyth was forced to open up new fields of activity and found another challenge in theatre work.
As a keen observer, Nasmyth took a keen interest in the emerging natural sciences and technology. While his landscape paintings celebrated nature, his scientific and technical interest in the field of architecture touched his artistic world. Thus Nasmyth also designed technical buildings, such as the pump house of St. Bernard's Fountain in Edinburgh. Nasmyth's interest in the latest developments in science and technology was also passed on to his children. His son, James Nasmyth, an engineer and entrepreneur, became famous through the development of steam hammers.
The work of Alexander Nasmyth is characterized by the personal experience of two revolutionary developments. On the one hand, Nasmyth had to assert himself as a bourgeois upstart in a society still dominated by the aristocracy, on the other hand the close observer of his environment perceived changes that later defined an epochal threshold as the industrial revolution. Art and religion were two areas in which the class barriers of the 18th century were more permeable than usual. For the talented boy from poor circumstances, there was initially nothing to suggest that he would get a chance. Alexander Nasmyth started an apprenticeship as a carriage maker after attending compulsory primary school. There he was assigned the task of decorating the carriages made for the aristocratic and middle-class elite with heraldic paintings. At the age of 16 he and his painting works caught the attention of the Scottish painter Allan Ramsey during a journey. Ramsey was so enthusiastic that he took the boy to his studio in London and offered him the opportunity for an artistic education. After completing his training, Nasmyth worked in a field of painting which, with the right talent, opened up the prospect of a sufficient regular income. Nasmyth specialized in portrait painting, in which he soon made a name for himself and won renowned patrons from the Scottish elite. This eventually enabled Nasmyth to embark on what was for an artist a classic journey to Italy to study the sites of antiquity and the masters of the Renaissance.
With the opening of his own painting school, Nasmyth established himself in Scottish society. As a teacher he influenced a generation of 19th century Scottish painters, such as William Leighton Leitch and David Roberts. The income of the flourishing painting school, guaranteed a middle-class lifestyle. However, his openly communicated liberal attitude became his undoing. His career as a portrait painter ended abruptly after some unpopular political statements. His noble patrons withdrew and Nasmyth no longer received portrait commissions. What was existentially a catastrophe turned out to be a stroke of luck for the artist Nasmyth. He devoted himself to his second great artistic passion, landscape painting. Here he became the founder of Scottish landscape painting and the admired model of a generation of artists. For material reasons, Nasmyth was forced to open up new fields of activity and found another challenge in theatre work.
As a keen observer, Nasmyth took a keen interest in the emerging natural sciences and technology. While his landscape paintings celebrated nature, his scientific and technical interest in the field of architecture touched his artistic world. Thus Nasmyth also designed technical buildings, such as the pump house of St. Bernard's Fountain in Edinburgh. Nasmyth's interest in the latest developments in science and technology was also passed on to his children. His son, James Nasmyth, an engineer and entrepreneur, became famous through the development of steam hammers.
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