DAVID GAULD R.S.A. (SCOTTISH 1865-1936) ELEGANT FIGURES IN THE STREET, CHELTENHAM

DAVID GAULD R.S.A. (SCOTTISH 1865-1936) ELEGANT FIGURES IN THE STREET, CHELTENHAM Signed and inscribed, pen and ink and watercolourDimensions:35cm x 25cm (13.75in x 9.75in)Provenance:Provenance: The Glasgow Art ClubNote: Note: David Gauld is best known for his depictions of sun-dappled cattle in byres or Ayrshire fields. However, in his early career Gauld was an innovator within the radical group of artists known as the Glasgow Boys. Gauld trained at the Glasgow School of Art between 1882 and 1885. In the late 1880s he made a name for himself as an illustrator for The Glasgow Weekly Citizen. It was during his time sharing a studio with fellow artist Harrington Mann (1864-1937) and then at 351 Renfrew Street that he honed his painting. As an artist he was immersed in the city’s artistic community - an apprenticeship with Stephen Adam taught him skills in stained glass and later a close friendship with Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) linked him with the applied arts. In the late 1930s he was appointed Director of Design at the Glasgow School of Art.Elegant Figures in the Street, Cheltenham is an extremely rare work showing both the artist’s ability in watercolour and his skilled draughtsmanship at the turn of the century. Gauld was familiar with figurative work, during the 1890s he painted stylised portraits with exuberant paint handling and strong use of colour (see The New Bonnet sold by Lyon & Turnbull on 31 May 2012, lot 133).Although the figures in Elegant Figures in the Street, Cheltenham are not identified they may well be friends of the artist and members of the art world. A companion work Broadway (National Galleries of Scotland, PG2704) depicts the artist couple Robert Macaulay Stevenson and Stansmore Macaulay Stevenson (née Dean), alongside Margaret Gauld (née Paterson). Much like Gauld’s figurative stained glass and early work in oil painting, this watercolour has a strong narrative comparable to the social reflection done by other members of the Glasgow School – notably the figurative work by E. A. Walton and Sir John Lavery of the Helensburgh bourgeoisie in the late 1880s. The Eastern influence in the flat composition and the opacity of colour draws from the highly fashionable Japanese print at the end of the nineteenth century. The work can also be closely associated with the artist’s own preparatory cartoons for stained glass window designs.Gauld enjoyed membership of the illustrious Glasgow Art Club and it is thought that the work was gifted by his widow to the Club on his death.