Description
Samuel Bough 1822-1878 (Scottish water colour)
You can see why Samuel Bough is such a popular and widely collected artist, his stunning landscapes (and even more stunning skies) achieve high prices at auction and large price tags in private galleries. His artwork is regarded as a solid investment that will always have a keen market and will grow in value whilst you enjoy looking at it on your wall.
Artists History.
He was self-taught but mixed with local artists such as Richard Harrington and George Sheffield, and was strongly influenced by the work of Turner. After an unsuccessful attempt to live as an artist in Carlisle he obtained a job as a theatre scenery painter in Manchester in 1845, later working in Glasgow in the same role. Encouraged by Daniel Macnee to take up landscape painting he moved to Hamilton from 1851-4 and worked there with Alexander Fraser. In Cadzow Forest (1857, Bourne Fine Art), influenced by Horatio McCulloch, is a ‘magnificent’ portrait of two ancient trees. In 1854 he moved to Port Glasgow to work on his technique of painting ships and harbours. He also began supplementing his income by illustrating books, before moving to Edinburgh in 1855.
On coming to Edinburgh, he lived in a terraced house at 5 Malta Terrace in the Stockbridge area of the city. Following Turner’s example, he became a skilful painter of seaports. Examples include St. Andrews (Noble Grossart) and The Dreadnought from Greenwich Stairs: Sun Sinking into Vapour (1861, private collection).
He later fell out with McCulloch (their dogs apparently taking sides in the dispute). He was admired by Robert Louis Stevenson and painted a view of his house at Swanston, and the construction of Dubh Artach lighthouse. The engineering work for the latter was undertaken by the brothers Thomas and David Stevenson, Robert Louis’ father and uncle respectively.
