The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Artist’ s unseen work could fetch up to £30k
Arare painting of Scottish island Iona by the Dundee artist nicknamed “The Fifth Colourist” could fetch up to £30,000 when it goes under the hammer this month.
“The Green Pool, Iona”, by renowned Dundee Colourist painter John Maclauchlan Milne (JMM) RSA, has never been exhibited and has been privately owned since it was painted more than 90 years ago.
It has now come to light as part of an auction with three other JMM works, which could make an estimated £50,500 if they reach the top end of their estimate.
JMM was born in 1885 into a family of successful artists – both his father Joseph Milne and uncle William Watt Milne were celebrated painters and influenced his early work.
He lived his formative years in Dundee and became involved with the Dundee Art Society before enlisting in the Royal Flying Corps (the early RAF) during the First World War.
Such was his connection to his home city that even in his absence, while still serving in 1919, he was made president of the Dundee Art Society.
The landscapes of Belgium and France where he spent the war greatly influenced his work, and there was a marked change in his style during the inter-war period to reflect this.
There was already a strong artistic alliance between Scotland and France in the early 20th Century, and JMM returned to the continent in 1920.
In France, he became friendly with the famous Scottish Colourists – Peploe, Cadell, Fergusson and Hunter – who were forging a path in contemporary Scottish art.
JMM moved in the same circles as the trailblazing Scottish artists, spending a lot of time on the French Riviera.
He visited the same locations and, like the Colourists, was heavily influenced by PostImpressionist painters Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh.
He had a similar, distinct painting style featuring bold colours and outlines, and this earned JMM the nickname The Fifth Colourist or The Dundee Colourist.
JMM’s first solo exhibition in the city was held at Murray’s Galleries in 1921, and many Dundee businessmen of that era invested in art.
It was sponsorship from William Boyd, managing director of renowned Dundee marmalade makers James Keiller and Sons, and head of the firm Alexander Keiller, that afforded JMM the income to travel to France.
Boyd and Keiller’s investment in JMM was repaid in original paintings and when Boyd retired from business, he dedicated his time to art.
JMM returned to Dundee in the 1930s after the global financial crash, and turned his attention to painting Scottish landscapes.
He spent a lot of time on the west coast of Scotland and the isle of Iona, where he painted dramatic seascapes.
During one trip in the late 1930s, he painted “The Green Pool, Iona” while staying at the island’s St Columba Hotel.
With the oil still wet on the canvas, JMM leaned his artwork in the dining room of the hotel to dry.
Also staying at the hotel was a father who had taken his daughter on a trip to Iona after the sudden death of her mother.
Spotting the paintings, the man bought two for his daughter as a wedding present, including “The Green Pool, Iona”.
The painting remained with the woman at her Glasgow home for 50 years before it was passed to a friend, and until now, has never been seen publicly.
“The Green Pool, Iona” has been given an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 when it goes to auction at McTear’s in Glasgow next Friday.