Rory McEwen (1932-1982)
Grass Studies, 1976
signed and dated 'Rory McEwen 1976' (lower right)
watercolour and pencil on paper
27 x 40.5ins (68.5 x 103cm)
Copyright The Artist
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A Scottish artist, McEwen was born and raised amidst the cultural affluence of Marchmont House, Berwickshire. His artistic journey commenced at the age of eight, under the guidance of a...
A Scottish artist, McEwen was born and raised amidst the cultural affluence of Marchmont House, Berwickshire. His artistic journey commenced at the age of eight, under the guidance of a French governess who introduced him and his sister to drawing directly from nature.
Educated at Eton from 1945, McEwen was nurtured in the art of drawing by Wilfrid Blunt. Recognising McEwen's exceptional talent, Blunt later lauded his student as perhaps the most gifted artist to pass through his hands. After his tenure at Eton, McEwen devoted two years to National Service in Egypt, subsequently enrolling at Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1952.
Rory McEwen's artistic repertoire was diverse, engaging with a wide array of media throughout his career. His artistic exploration extended into modernism and abstract art, with endeavours in oil painting, perspex sculptures, and environmental art concepts, though he is most celebrated for his intricately detailed paintings of individual flowers or vegetables.
In the 1970s, Rory McEwen temporarily set aside vellum, his favourite substrate, in favour of paper. This period marked the beginning of a unique series of semi-abstract watercolour paintings, focusing on grasses and wildflowers, often set against water-inspired backgrounds, adding a dreamlike quality to his work. Embracing paper allowed McEwen to explore new artistic directions, resulting in a captivating collection that featured grasses in a way that played with multiple images to produce a sense of rhythmic repetition.
By the time of his passing in 1982, McEwen had established himself as a botanical artist of renown, his mastery drawing parallels with 18th and 19th-century greats such as Redouté and Ehret, and as a distinguished musician. His profound influence on contemporary botanical art continues to inspire new generations of artists. His legacy was honoured posthumously with notable retrospectives of his work at Edinburgh's Inverleith House, the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1988, and the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens in London in 2013. A major exhibition of Rory McEwen’s works has begun in January 2024 at the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, and will tour to other museum venues across the USA.
Educated at Eton from 1945, McEwen was nurtured in the art of drawing by Wilfrid Blunt. Recognising McEwen's exceptional talent, Blunt later lauded his student as perhaps the most gifted artist to pass through his hands. After his tenure at Eton, McEwen devoted two years to National Service in Egypt, subsequently enrolling at Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1952.
Rory McEwen's artistic repertoire was diverse, engaging with a wide array of media throughout his career. His artistic exploration extended into modernism and abstract art, with endeavours in oil painting, perspex sculptures, and environmental art concepts, though he is most celebrated for his intricately detailed paintings of individual flowers or vegetables.
In the 1970s, Rory McEwen temporarily set aside vellum, his favourite substrate, in favour of paper. This period marked the beginning of a unique series of semi-abstract watercolour paintings, focusing on grasses and wildflowers, often set against water-inspired backgrounds, adding a dreamlike quality to his work. Embracing paper allowed McEwen to explore new artistic directions, resulting in a captivating collection that featured grasses in a way that played with multiple images to produce a sense of rhythmic repetition.
By the time of his passing in 1982, McEwen had established himself as a botanical artist of renown, his mastery drawing parallels with 18th and 19th-century greats such as Redouté and Ehret, and as a distinguished musician. His profound influence on contemporary botanical art continues to inspire new generations of artists. His legacy was honoured posthumously with notable retrospectives of his work at Edinburgh's Inverleith House, the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1988, and the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens in London in 2013. A major exhibition of Rory McEwen’s works has begun in January 2024 at the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, and will tour to other museum venues across the USA.