Donald McIntyre was a British painter best known for his lush depictions of landscapes in both Scotland and Wales. His strong affinity for the picturesque coastline of the United Kingdom as well as his boldly impressionist style are what makes him one of the most revered scenic artists of the twentieth century.
McIntyre was born in 1923 in Leeds, United Kingdom. It is actually his memorable childhood memories however, in the North West of Scotland that would later inspire him throughout his artistic career. Interestingly enough, McIntyre began pursuing a vocation as a dentist where he studied at the Glasgow Dental Hospital. However, this wasnt enough for him. He began to undertake night classes in the art academy in the road opposite from where he studied dentistry, at the Glasgow School of Art.
It is here that he would discover his passion. He eventually qualified as a dentist in Glasgow where he remained in that profession, working in the army and then in the school service as an Education Health Officer until the ripe age of forty. After much encouragement by the Harvard Roberts Gallery in Cardiff, he decided to leave the dentists life behind to make a living as a full-time painter.
Donald McIntyre, forever wanting to progress artistically, studied painting under James Wright, R.S.W at Garelochead. To many, it seems, this investment has paid off. His works to this day have been held in the collections of Llyfrgell Geneglaethol Cymru National Library of Wales, the American Embassy in London, the Newport Art Gallery, and the Williamson Art Gallery. As well as this, he has exhibited at the London Galleries, the Royal Cambrian Gallery, Galleries Racines Brussels, the Fosse Gallery and the Thackery Gallery.
In the late 1950s, McIntyre moved to North Wales where he lived in a small village in the hills just above Bangor with his artist wife, Lauren. It is here that he become further enamoured by the beauty of the languid yet equally tumultuous Welsh coastlines. He would remain situated on the idyllic Welsh countryside, until his death in 2009. It is this diverse relationship with man and nature that would constantly push him deeper within his artistic fervour; appreciating with a keen eye mans symbiotic connection with ourselves and the nature that surrounds us. Forever the gifted draftsman, the artist always returned to the coastal scenes of the British Isles, particularly in Scotland and Wales, where he developed a palette and painterly approach based on the tradition of the Scottish Colourists and their followers.
One of my favourite McIntyre pieces is titled "Figure and Dark Sea" in which he depicts a loan woman, most likely his wife Lauren, staring out into an unforgiving, distant ocean. It is unclear as to why she is out on the dimming seafront by herself, however through his instinctive brushstrokes and dark palette he manages to capture the changing relationship of man within the sublime. For McIntyre, nature is a dynamic force; unpredictable yet at the same time, forever a constant presence within our lives. This notion is perfectly expressed within this painting. He articulates the ferocity of the ocean through expert technique whilst equally commenting on the stillness that can be found when one immerses themselves amongst the natural world of his strikingly bold coastlines. Here, he exhibits his artistic intuition as a true draftsman.
I hope that I have done justice to McIntyre and his vast talents. If you would like to enjoy his work in person, please feel free to visit our collection at the showroom in Knutsford.
