James Cowie

1886-1956
James Cowie

Born in Aberdeenshire, Cowie studied at Glasgow School of Art. He later taught at Bellshill Academy, near Glasgow, followed by the position of Warden at Hospitalfield House. It was here Cowie taught Joan Eardley, with whom he famously clashed over their different approaches to painting. Cowie’s style of painting was precise and linear. A great admirer of artists like Poussin and the pre-Raphaelite painters, he felt he shared their classical values of self-restraint and objectivity. He had a meticulous way of working and believed that art was a product of thought and reason.

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Schoolgirls, c.1926

pencil on paper
H:35cm W:31cm
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Two Casts, c.1944

pencil on paper
H:38cm W:34.5cm
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Study of a Schoolgirl, c.1930

pencil on buff paper
H:48cm W:20cm
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The Satin Blouse, 1935

chalk on drawing paper
H:38cm W:30.5cm
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Self Portrait Study for The Blue Shirt, c.1937

pencil drawing
H:19cm W:19cm
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The Artist and his Model, c.1940

pencil & pastel
H:38cm W:27cm
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Landscape

pencil, gouache & watercolour
H:22.5cm W:36cm
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Still Life with Glass, Apple and Spoon, 1944

mixed media
H:25cm W:47cm
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Head Study, Girl, 1925-30

chalk drawing
H:29.5cm W:26cm
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In the Country, 1930

watercolour
H:22cm W:23cm
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