Black Bean, Walberswick - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A precise botanical study by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, created during his 1915 stay in Walberswick, featuring delicate line work and subtle watercolour.
During the summer of 1915, Charles Rennie Mackintosh resided in the Suffolk village of Walberswick. This period marked a shift in his creative output, as he moved away from architectural design towards a focused study of botanical forms. This work, Black Bean, Walberswick, captures the artist's disciplined approach to observation and his ability to translate natural structures into graphic, rhythmic compositions.
The drawing demonstrates Mackintosh's characteristic economy of line. He employs a precise, calligraphic pencil stroke to define the contours of the bean plant, while controlled washes of watercolour provide depth and tonal variation. The composition is balanced, with the plant occupying the centre of the page, allowing the viewer to examine the structural logic of the leaves and pods. The inclusion of his signature monogram and the date within a small, rectangular box at the bottom right is a typical feature of his later works, integrating the text into the overall design of the piece.
Unlike his earlier, more stylised Glasgow Style works, these botanical studies from the Walberswick period show a closer engagement with the physical reality of the subject. The artist balances scientific accuracy with a decorative sensibility, ensuring the plant remains the primary focus. The use of negative space is deliberate, creating a sense of clarity that allows the form of the bean plant to emerge without distraction. This print offers a clear view of Mackintosh's technical skill, showcasing his ability to find order and beauty in the natural world through a minimalist lens. It is a representative example of his later career, where he refined his aesthetic to focus on the essential qualities of his subjects.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Black Bean, Walberswick - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Artist Biography
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
He was the fourth of eleven children, seven of whom survived infancy. His father was a police superintendent. The boy was probably dyslexic, struggled badly at school, and used sketchbooks to manage what appear to have been emotional difficulties. He had a contracted sinew in one foot that gave him a limp, and childhood rheumatic fever left one side of his face permanently drooped. None of this stopped him drawing.
He enrolled at Glasgow School of Art at fifteen, studying part-time while apprenticed to the architect John Hutchinson. In 1889 he joined Honeyman and Keppie, where he would remain for nearly two decades. He met Margaret Macdonald in 1892. Together with her sister Frances and Herbert McNair, they formed a group that became known as The Four. Mackintosh and Margaret married in 1900. He acknowledged publicly that Margaret had genius where he had only talent.
His greatest commission was the Glasgow School of Art building itself, won in competition in 1897. The library wing, completed in 1909, is considered one of the finest interiors of the twentieth century. He designed all four tea rooms for the entrepreneur Catherine Cranston, going so far as to specify the waitresses' dresses and order the flowers. In Vienna, at the eighth Secessionist Exhibition in 1900, his work was received with an enthusiasm Glasgow never matched.
His style fell from favour. He drank. He was asked to leave his firm. In 1914 he and Margaret moved to Walberswick in Suffolk, where he was briefly arrested as a suspected German spy because of his Vienna correspondence and unusual manner. He was released without charge but effectively driven from the village.
In 1923, they moved to Port Vendres in the south of France. The light and landscape revived him. He painted watercolours of the surrounding hills and harbour with an obsessive attention to geological detail, completing around forty before returning to London for the last time.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like