James McBey

Key facts

Lived

1883–1959, British

• What is James McBey's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as James McBey's most famous. He was a prolific artist who produced a large number of etchings, watercolours, and oil paintings, and his popularity has fluctuated since his death. McBey is perhaps best known for his etchings of scenes in Venice, Amsterdam, and Morocco. These works display his skill in capturing light and atmosphere, and they were highly sought after by collectors during his lifetime. Some of his well-regarded prints include *The Lion Hotel, Kirkcudbright* (1911), *The Pool* (1923), and *Barcarolle* (1925). McBey also worked as a war artist during the First World War, and his drawings and paintings of the conflict are important historical documents. These works are less widely known than his etchings, but they demonstrate his versatility as an artist.
• What should I know about James McBey's prints?+

  When assessing James McBey's prints, it is helpful to understand some basic printmaking conventions. The artist typically decides to limit an edition; this is not usually dictated by technical limitations of the medium. The number of prints which can be produced from a woodblock is not limited by the physical characteristics of the woodblock itself, if it is looked after. Thomas Bewick's wood engraving of a view of Newcastle was printed 900,000 times. Most printmakers do, in practice, limit their editions. An edition is a number of identical prints that are produced from the same block or set of blocks. Editions come in two forms: an ‘open’ edition or a ‘limited’ edition. Each print is marked with a print number and an edition number, written on the left bottom margin of the print. The title of the print is written in the middle of the bottom margin, and the signature is on the right. These descriptions are always signed in pencil. It is important to store finished prints interleaved with acid-free tissue in a drawer or box. Prints should not be hung for long periods in bright light, or over radiators, because some colours fade faster than others.
• What style or movement did James McBey belong to?+

  It is difficult to place James McBey within a single artistic movement. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw many movements, and some artists worked across several styles. Art Nouveau, for example, was a decorative style of architecture and interior design that appeared in Europe and the USA in the 1890s. It transformed art and design, and was characterised by stylised, sinuous lines with curving, organic forms; tendrils and leaves were common. Another movement from the same period was the Arts and Crafts Movement. Beginning in the 1880s, it was inspired by William Morris. It held that art and craft could improve people's lives. The functional and decorative work that it produced had an influence on designers and makers across the world. Seminal figures, such as C.R. Ashbee, set standards for design and craftwork that remain to this day.
• What techniques or materials did James McBey use?+

  James McBey was a printmaker who employed a variety of techniques. These included etching, drypoint, and other methods of intaglio printmaking. Etching involves coating a metal plate (often copper or zinc) with an acid-resistant wax. The artist scratches an image into the wax, exposing the metal beneath. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is applied to the plate, and the surface is wiped clean, leaving ink only in the grooves. Damp paper is then pressed onto the plate to transfer the image. Soft-ground etching, aquatint, and sugar-lift etching are variations on this process. Drypoint is a technique where the artist scratches directly into a metal plate with a needle, without using a wax ground. This creates a burr, a residue of metal along the edges of the lines, which gives the printed line a soft, blurred texture. Woodcut, another printmaking method, involves cutting away areas of a woodblock with knives or chisels. The remaining raised areas are inked, and the image is transferred to paper.
• What was James McBey known for?+

  James McBey (1883-1959) was a Scottish artist known primarily for his etchings. He also worked in watercolour and oil paint, and he became an official war artist during World War One. McBey's style shows an awareness of the work of earlier artists, and he was influenced by figures such as Rembrandt and James McNeill Whistler. His prints often feature landscapes and scenes of daily life, rendered with a careful attention to light and shadow. McBey's technical skill in etching was widely recognised, and his prints were popular among collectors during his lifetime. Although his reputation declined somewhat in later years, there has been renewed interest in his work. He is now considered an important figure in the history of British printmaking.
• When did James McBey live and work?+

  James McBey was born on 23 December 1883 in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. He died on 1 December 1959 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. McBey was a Scottish etcher, painter, and war artist. McBey began his artistic career relatively late. He studied at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. He then moved to London and became a full-time artist. During the First World War, he served as an official war artist for the British Army. He documented military activities in France and Palestine. After the war, McBey travelled extensively, creating etchings and watercolours of scenes from Europe, North Africa, and the United States. He eventually settled in America, where he continued to produce art and exhibit his work.
• Where can I see James McBey's work?+

  James McBey's work can be found in several museums, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. In the UK, you might visit the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland Royal Museum in Edinburgh, or the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Towneley Hall Art Gallery in Burnley, Lancashire also holds works. Outside the UK, several American museums hold McBey's art. These include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the Museum of Modern Art, also in New York; and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. You can also find his pieces at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University in Miami Beach.
• Where was James McBey from?+

  James McBey was born in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, in 1883. His early life was marked by the death of his father before his first birthday, after which he was raised by his mother and grandmother. McBey's connection to his home country remained strong, even as his artistic career took him to various parts of the world. Although he travelled extensively, with significant periods spent in Europe, North Africa, and America, he maintained a sense of identity rooted in his Scottish origins. His artistic training was somewhat unconventional; he largely taught himself, developing his skills through observation and practice. This self-directed approach contributed to his individual style, setting him apart from artists with more formal academic backgrounds.
• Who did James McBey influence?+

  It is difficult to assess McBey's artistic influence, but Matisse's is well documented. Matisse influenced many artists, particularly in America from the 1940s through the 1970s. Several artists used Matisse's flat, surface-oriented work to bypass abstract expressionism. Matisse's pupils Patrick Henry Bruce and Arthur Burdett Frost, Jr, turned toward abstraction and pure colour. A number of (mostly) German artists who frequented the Cafe du Dome, some of whom studied with Matisse, include Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann, Bela Czobel, Rudolph Grossmann, George Kars [Karpeies], Rudolf Levy, Oscar and Greta Moll, Franz Mölken, and Hans Purrmann. Matisse's impact can be seen among hard-edged painters (such as Youngerman, Kelly, and Zox), colourists (Frankenthaler, Motherwell, and Stella), and figurative artists (Avery and Wesselman). Lichtenstein created pastiches of Matisse, and Diebenkorn also drew influence from him. Matisse's lessons on colour usage in flat planes were incorporated by Lhote and others, aiding the development of synthetic cubism.
• Who influenced James McBey?+

  James Dickson Innes (born 1887) may have influenced James McBey. Innes attended Carmarthen Art School and the Slade. By 1907, he had met Augustus John and moved to Fitzroy Street. He travelled in France with John Fothergill in 1908. In 1910, he lived in Paris; there, he was close to Matthew Smith and visited Leo Stein’s collection and Vollard’s gallery. He painted in North Wales with Augustus John, as well as in Spain and the south of France. He exhibited at the New English Art Club (NEAC), the Allied Artists' Association (AAA), with the Camden Town Group, and at the Armory Show. He was a member of the NEAC (1911) and the Camden Town Group (1911) and had one-man shows at the Chenil Gallery in 1911 and 1913. Innes first went to Collioure in 1908 with John Fothergill; however, he was not aware of its connections with the Fauves. In 1910, he saw Matisse’s paintings at Leo Stein’s in Paris, and, in 1911, he saw Augustus John’s Provençal studies at the Chenil Gallery. These viewings encouraged him to make his colours bolder and brighter.
• Why are James McBey's works important today?+

  Printmaking, as a medium, allowed for wider dissemination and more affordable access to art. Many people, who lacked the resources to become painters, made their careers in graphic arts. The late 19th century saw a delight in ambiguous imagery, which existed alongside an investment in beauty of form. The concrete beauty of a perfectly bound book, with handmade paper, antique font, quality ink, and artistic lining, was something to be valued. This tension between the meaningless and the material object gave the Symbolist and Aesthetic movements the label of Decadence. The reproduced image was not limited to art prints; books and magazines carried illustrations, and pictorial images appeared in advertising. Commercial illustration was quick to adopt new developments in graphic art, lending modernity to products and publications. The ubiquity of Art Nouveau in metro signs, posters, jewellery, and magazines is why it is still evocative of transformation and the image-saturated world.