John Maclauchlan Milne
John Maclauchlan Milne RSA (1885 - 1957) was a Scottish painter much associated with the Dundee artistic community of the early 20th Century, but who also spent much time abroad particularly in the South of France. He was essentially a landscape painter, although urban paintings often occur. His works are found in many public art galleries, especially in Scotland.[1]
Life
[edit]
Maclauchlan Milne was born in Buckhaven in Fife and had a peripatetic childhood, his family moving a number of times. His father, Joseph Milne was also a landscape painter. The family first lived in Edinburgh, where he went to school, then Maclauchlan Milne emigrated to Canada before rejoining his family in London before returning to Scotland and Dundee in 1908/09. He married his French wife in 1911 and thereafter travelled considerably while maintaining a studio in Dundee at 132A Nethergate, Dundee, for some twenty years. The patronage of Alex Keiller of the Dundee marmalade firm give him financial support, enabling him in the 1920s to spend much time in the South of France. [2] He settled in Arran in the early 1940s, dying there in 1957.
Art
[edit]Maclauchlan Milne was initially much influence by his Father, Joseph (Joe) Milne (d.1911) and his uncle William Watt Milne (d. 1949) who were both professional artists. This can be seen in his painting Fife Landscape, which is very much in the manner of his father. [3] However, a visit to Paris in 1920 changed his outlook and style. After seeing the works of Cézanne he embraced the Modernist and a somewhat Impressionistic style of painting and thereafter worked in that manner. [4] He adopted a far bolder colour palette, very much in tune with the French artists he observed.
He was also in direct contact with Peploe, Fergusson, Cadell and Hunter, the ‘Scottish Colourists’, including exhibiting with them in Dundee in 1924, and no doubt took some inspiration from them. He also painted in Iona which he would have associated with the works of Cadell and Peploe, although he may have only visited the island several times in the late 1930s. [5] He continued to paint on Arran, his Scottish paintings often showing a brightness of colour not always associated with the Scottish landscape.
Legacy
[edit]Milne seems to have been greatly appreciated in his day. The Dundee collector, Matthew Justice for example had his sitting room hung exclusively with paintings by Milne and Peploe. Several other important Dundee collectors owned his works.[6] He has often been compared to the four Scottish Colourists, but has never achieved the level of recognition accorded to those artists. [7] Professionally, he was recognised by being elected an Associate of the RSA in 1934 and a full RSA in 1938. [8]
Further reading
[edit]For a full account of his life including illustrations and a timeline of his activities, see Millar.[9]
External links
[edit]ArtUK John Maclauchlan Milne 1885–1957 British, 40 works
References
[edit]- ^ "John Maclauchlan Milne 1885–1957 British". ArtUK. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ McEwan, Peter J M (2004). The Dictionary of Scottish Art and Architecture (2nd ed.). Ballater, Scotland, UK: Glengarden Press. p. 387. ISBN 0-9547552-1-9.
- ^ Jarron, Matthew (2015). Art in Dundee 1867 - 1924 "Independent & Individualist". Dundee, Scotland, UK: Abertay Historical Society in association with the University of Dundee Museum Services. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-900019-56-2.
- ^ Marriner, Jill & Millar, Maurice. "John Maclauchlan Milne and his family of artists: a journey from Realism to Modernism". ArtUK. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Christian, Jessica & Stiller, Charles (2000). Iona Portrayed: The Island through Artists' Eyes, 1760 - 1960. Inverness, Scotland, UK: The New Iona Press. p. 66. ISBN 0-9516283-9-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "John Maclauchlan Milne". Portland Gallery. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ "The Missing Colourist: The Artist". The Missing Colourist. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ Harris, Paul & Halsby, Julian (1990). The Dictionary of Scottish Painters 1600 - 1960. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: Canongate/Phaidon Press in assocaition with Bourne Fine Art. p. 152. ISBN 0-86241-328-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Millar, Maurice N (2022). The Missing Colourist. Self published by M N Millar. pp. 240pp. ISBN 978-1-3999-1781-0.