David Allan
(1744 - 1796) |
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Small scale group portraits, Genre Narratives, Historical Narratives Art Work
| Name: |
David Allan |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Alloa in central Scotland |
| Nationality: |
Scottish |
| Birth: |
1744 |
| Death: |
1796 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Small scale group portraits, Genre Narratives, Historical Narratives |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
Oil, Drawing |
| Style: |
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| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
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Biography
| Son of the shore master at Alloa, where he was born 13 February 1744; he died near Edinburgh 6 August 1796. Through the patronage of the Cathcart family he was enabled to study at the Foulis Academy in the College of Glasgow 1755-62, and to travel to Rome in 1767. Lady Cathcart was sister to Sir William Hamilton, who befriended Allan at Rome and Naples. He studied with Gavin Hamilton (q.v.) in Rome and absorbed the heroic tradition of history painting and sent back some history pictures to the RA 1771 and 1773. He won the gold medal of the Concorso Balestra with a 'Hector and Andromache' (Accademia di S. Luca, Rome). In Naples in 1775 he began painting small scenes of rustic genre, and expanded this side of his talent in etchings and watercolours. His best history picture is 'The Origin of Painting', 1775 (NG of Scotland) and he had little chance of painting such pictures later. He returned from Italy in 1777 and showed some pictures of Neapolitan genre at the RA, and worked in London 1777-80, when he returned to Scotland. He introduced into Scotland the first family conversation pieces and small portraits of cabinet size, but he soon began to specialise in pictures (and drawings and aquatints) recording the customs and daily life of the common people (first in RA 1781). In 1786 he succeeded Alexander Runciman (q.v.) as Master of the Academy of the Board of Manufactures in Edinburgh, a post he held until his death. He retained aspirations towards history painting and sent three Scottish history scenes to the SA 1791, but these have disappeared. He is best known for his illustrations to Allan Ramsay's The Gentle Shepherd (published with engravings 1788). His executive powers were limited, but the sincerity of his observant eye and his accurate recording of the contemporary scene make him a precious witness to the past, and he had a great influence on the development of Scottish genre painting which reached its finest moment in Wilkie. |
Samples of Work
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